District is still working out transportation, lunch challenges
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Although there are still a number of moving pieces to the puzzle, Waterford Union High School officials are moving forward with a plan emphasizing in-person instruction once the bell resumes ringing in a month.
District Administrator Luke Francois combed through a re-entry plan with the School Board at a meeting July 20. The goal, Francois said, is to have operations protocol that closely aligns to each of the Waterford-area K-8 feeder districts, which are working out their own individual plans.
“In summary, it is the district’s plan to have students return in the fall with precautions in place to reduce risk,” Francois said of the high school’s overarching efforts.
High school officials are considering all three models — 100 percent in-person, a hybrid model and 100 percent virtual — with further details anticipated in the month ahead.
The goal, Francois said, is to hold town hall meetings this coming month, finalize safety precautions, solidify the district’s hybrid approach for students attending through that method and continue dialogue with officials in other schools throughout the area.
Francois and other high school administrators prepared a 26-page document for the School Board’s review at the recent meeting.
The document touches on a number of issues related to COVID-19 precautions, including routine consultation with members of the Central Racine County Health Department, use of the high school’s physical spaces and sanitation efforts to ensure safety.
As with most districts across the state, WUHS this summer surveyed parents and asked about their preferences with instruction format and how precautions should be approached.
According to the document, 68.3 percent of the 562 respondents favored solely in-person, or face-to-face, instruction. An additional 24.4 percent expressed interest in a hybrid model, and the remaining 7.3 percent backed a plan for completely virtual instruction.
Operationally, a large majority of the parents taking the survey favored most of the high school’s proposed safeguards. A question asking if WUHS should require hand washing and sanitizing before entering the building, for example, received 98.2 percent affirmation.
But a question asking about face coverings garnered less support, though it still was in the majority. Three-fourths of the respondents said they believed students and employees should have masks on during the school day to minimize risk.
In addition to instruction, WUHS and other officials are wading through other uncharted waters, including transportation logistics and lunch service.
In terms of transportation, Francois said the high school is having “ongoing communications” with Dousman Transportation, the company contracted to provide busing service.
While busing will be an expected offering this coming school year, WUHS officials are considering alternatives to the methods of the past, including encouraging self transportation, opening windows during routes and calling for all riders to wear masks throughout the duration of the route.
During a preliminary discussion of reopening protocol in June, WUHS’ elected board hinted that it supported a return to regular classroom instruction.
“We’re going to start as normal as we can, and as safe as we can,” School Board President Don Engler said at the time. “We want to get back to some sense of normalcy with our schools.”
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