Hoover schools to start in-person instruction 5 days per week Oct. 19

All students in the Hoover school system whose families chose in-person instruction will be allowed to return to school five days a week beginning Oct. 19, Superintendent Kathy Murphy announced Tuesday.

The decision comes after increased pressure from parents eager to get their children back in school five days a week and new guidance issued by Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson.

Wilson, in a letter to school system leaders Oct. 5, noted that at the end of July, he recommended middle and high schools either continue with virtual instruction or continue reducing the number of students at school with staggered instruction schedules. The Hoover school system followed that advice.

Now, Wilson said “the relative risks related to the spread of COVID-19 versus the benefits of in-person instruction for secondary schools have shifted to the point that [it] is now reasonable to consider a more flexible approach going forward.

“Mental and social-emotional health, as well as academic achievements with its long term public health implications, have always been a part of my thinking in considering the risk vs. benefit of in-person, virtual or hybrid instruction,” Wilson wrote.

There is still significant spread of COVID-19 in Jefferson County (more than in the spring when schools initially closed, and there is still risk of transmission of the virus in schools, Wilson wrote.

“However, we are in a better place than we were at the end of July,” he wrote. “Furthermore, our local hospitals are no longer at full capacity for COVID-19 beds. Several schools have also had the benefit of weeks of experience in successfully implementing COVID-19 precautions, and working with the health department to rapidly identify cases and contacts so they can be isolated. So far, there has not been clear evidence of spread in our schools during class time.”

Still, “it will be critical to maintain precautions to minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread, so we can protect all people connected to the schools and keep the schools open,” Wilson wrote.

The Jefferson County Department of Health will continue to advise individual schools and school systems  on their COVID-19 prevention and mitigation plans and activities as needed, Wilson said.

The health department for the near future continues to recommend universal use of face coverings throughout the school day as recommended at the end of July and taking reasonable steps, where practicable, to maintain 6 feet of separation from people from other households.

Murphy, in a letter sent to parents Tuesday, said Hoover school officials can’t ensure 6 feet of separation but will “socially distance our students to the best of our ability.

“We realize more of our students and school personnel will be in close proximity with others who may become ill which means due to contact tracing more individuals are likely to be sent home,” Murphy wrote. “However, more of our students will be in school on any given day for in-person instruction than in our current staggered schedule.”

Hoover school officials delayed the opening of school from Aug. 6 to Aug. 20 and started with three options: virtual school, in-person instruction two days per week and a blended option that allowed some classes to be taken in person and others virtually.

Then on Sept. 21, elementary students (who are deemed less likely to contract and transmit COVID-19) were allowed to return to school four days per week.

Middle and high school students who chose in-person instruction were kept on the two-days-per-week schedule due to worsening COVID-19 conditions — a decision that riled many parents.

Murphy said at that time she very much wanted to bring all students who chose in-person instruction backs five days a week but was trying to make the best decision for the health and safety of students and school employees alike.

The Hoover school system on Sept. 22 set up a COVID-19 tracking dashboard to share detailed data with the community and will continue to track and share that data, Murphy said Tuesday.

School officials also will continue conversations about the safety of students with the Alabama Department of Public Health, Jefferson County Department of Health, Alabama Department of Education and other state and community agencies.

Partitions will be used at school as needed and appropriate, and face coverings will be required until further notice, Murphy said.

Oct. 19 is the beginning of the second nine-week grading period for Hoover schools, and parents once again were given the option to choose either in-person on virtual instruction for their children, Murphy said. The option to take all classes virtually will remain for the duration of this academic year or until further notice, she said.

Also, if a change becomes necessary for a student, parents may present a doctor’s notice indicating any extenuating circumstances for school officials to review, she said.

Murphy thanked parents and students for taking personal responsibility by socially distancing themselves as much as possible, wearing face coverings and frequently washing their hands. She encouraged parents to continue talking to their children about how they feel, checking their temperature every morning before school and not sending their children to school if they have a temperature of 100 degrees or higher or are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms.

“Thank you for your patience, and thank you for sharing your concerns with me through this challenging experience,” Murphy wrote.  “The volume of emails left me without adequate time to be responsive to all who communicated, but please know your voice was heard and your opinion matters.”

Wilson said the Jefferson County Department of Health will work with schools to determine if and when it may be necessary to curtail in-person instruction should there be evidence of significant spread of virus within a school or a critical increase in community disease activity.

“The cases we have seen in schools appear to have been acquired from non-school related social activities and large gatherings,” Wilson wrote. “Schools do not operate in a vacuum, and the communities they are in are critical to the success or failure of their reopening plans. Together [we) will need to continue to encourage all of our local communities to remain vigilant in the face of this ongoing pandemic threat.”