SESSER (WSIL) -- Students in Sesser have one full week of school behind them as they returned to the classroom Thursday to start week two.
The district is operating a blend of in-person and remote learning, with all students remote each Wednesday while the school undergoes a deep cleaning.
Students are divided into two groups, with Group A attending Mondays and Thursdays, and Group B on Tuesdays and Fridays. The school keeps in-class numbers low, providing an increase in social distancing. And to make the mix of in-person and remote learning work with the extra efforts at school, it all starts at home.
Parents are asked to complete a self certification for COVID symptoms and general health of each student before they leave their home, explains Jason Henry, district superintendent. "And when they complete that each morning, they'll fill out a ticket, and we're using as part of the entry ticket for students to gain access to the building."
Henry says following these and other safety measures is how in-person learning will remain possible. He adds that before the semester kicked off, the staff was a little nervous how it would all unfold.
"But once we saw kids and once we saw what kids in the classroom looked like, that stuff erased," says Henry. "I think part of the reason that it went away, what we saw were kids that were committed to doing what it takes to get back into school."
Sesser's Drivers' Ed Instructor and Athletic Director Chip Basso says they follow the guidelines issued by the department of health, and adds, "But I think we've tried to make sure those are the minimum standards, and if we can go above and beyond those things for student safety we feel like that's critically important."
Basso says students have adjusted to the new routines, and in some ways better than the staff. "Kids have been great, they've done great with masks and trying to stay apart as much as possible. They've done well."
Those routines are the safety measures that will see them through the semester as school staff remain flexible for any changes ahead.
"One day at a time," says Superintendent Henry about the staff's on-going commitment to keeping students educated and safe. "One decision at a time, one assignment at a time; we're just biting off and attacking the problem in just little bits and pieces, one thing at a time and doing that deliberately, with a lot of patience, and I think they're getting the job done.
To cut down on traffic throughout the school day, students remain in their classrooms to eat lunch.
