Bond referendum, COVID updates: 7 things Clover parents should know ahead of 2021-22

The first day of school is less than a week away. The Clover school officials have worked all summer to implement a plan that will bring students back for a year almost free of COVID concerns.

Here are seven things Clover families should know ahead of the 2021-22 school year.

1. Important 2021-22 dates

The Clover School District calendar is available on the district’s website.

The district’s first day of school is Aug. 16, and its last day is May 26. Winter break is scheduled from Dec. 22-Jan. 3, and spring break lasts from April 11-18.

2. Masks, masks and more masks

By now, those who need to know the district’s mask policy likely already know, but here’s a reminder:

Masks are strongly recommended but not required, district spokesperson Bryan Dillon said.

While state law prohibits schools from mandating masks, the state Department of Health and Environmental Control this month released its school guidance for the 2021-22 school year, urging all individuals to wear masks in indoor school settings.

Vaccines are also encouraged for eligible students and staff but not required, Dillon said.

Other notable COVID details of the plan include:

• The district will use a three-level system to manage the risk of COVID-19, opening at level one unless circumstances change.
• Desk shields are available for those who desire to use them.
• Parents and visitors will be welcomed back into the schools.
• Field trips are allowed again.

The district’s COVID tracker will remain on its website throughout the 2021-22 year.

3. Extracurricular activities are back

Chorus concerts. Field trips. Parent lunches. They’re all back.

“Students will have the full complement of things,” Dillon said. “They’ll be scheduled in a way that promotes less capacity at one time, not denying access, but spread out more by grade level rather than whole school.”

Parent lunch visits will be allowed after Labor Day. Seats will be limited using a sign-up procedure and will be on a first come-first served basis.

Field trips, activities and competitions will resume with pre-approval, which will be based on the level of spread with COVID-19 variants, according to the district’s plan.

4. Largest bond in Clover history

The Clover School District is growing. Roughly five years ago, the district had around 6,000 students. Now, there’s just under 9,000, and district officials expect that number to keep going up.

With that, the district is working toward passing a bond referendum, totaling just under $197 million, to build a second high school and eighth elementary school, Dillon said. The bond also includes renovation projects to have a third middle school, he said.

There will be a vote on Sept. 18, Dillon said.

“It’s the largest bond that Clover School District has ever taken to the community,” Dillon said.

Clover families can find more information on the district’s website here.

5. What time does school start?

The start of the school day may look a little different for some Clover students who got used to rolling out of bed at the last minute to sign on to Zoom.

With level one, the district’s start times for the 2021-22 year will return to the following times:

• Elementary: 7:30 a.m.
• Middle: 8:30 a.m.
• High: 8:30 a.m.

Elementary school students will end at 2:20 p.m. Middle and high school students will end at 3:30 p.m.

The start times could change if classes, grades or schools were to switch to level two, according to the district’s plan.

6. What are the chances the district could go fully virtual?

The district’s three level system gives school officials more adaptability if COVID numbers were to climb again, Dillon said.

Clover schools will start next week with in-person learning — or level one, which enforces similar precautions put in place at the end of last year, Dillon said. At level one, masks are encouraged, desks will be placed three feet apart where possible and the lunchroom will be at 50% capacity.

Any change to level two or three, which involve more protective measures, would be in response to virus spread at class, grade or school level, Dillon said. Level two is modified in-person learning and level three is intermittent remote learning.

“One of the things we learned from last year is that we’re able to make changes as needed,” Dillon said. “We don’t have to do it a full sweeping change. We can do it based on the information that we have within our district numbers.”

The three-level system allows the district to makes changes at a class, grade or school level if COVID cases were to rise, he said.

If needed, temporary remote learning — or level three — would be administered to:

• 20% of a class
• 10% of a grade level
• 10% of a full school

“They’d be switched to remote learning for the time period needed to have those numbers come back down to within the parameters that are set,” Dillon said.

7. Fuller classes

Fewer students will remain completely online this year, Dillon said.

Last year, about 1,700 of the district’s 8,950 students were virtual. This year, about 200 will remain at home, Dillon said.

The district plans to maintain a 20 students to one teacher ratio in most classrooms, but that will vary in different schools and grades because of varying populations, Dillon said.

The district has implemented several precautions if a class were to experience a COVID exposure.

At level one, students and staff with symptoms or a positive COVID-19 test will have to isolate for 10 days and participate in contact tracing, according to the district’s plan. Students and staff identified as close contacts will have to quarantine for 14 days.

“We still have to be cautious and have precautions,” Dillon said.

Cailyn Derickson

The Herald

Cailyn Derickson is a city government and politics reporter for The Herald, covering York, Chester and Lancaster counties. Cailyn graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has previously worked at The Pilot and The News and Observer.