Wadsworth Schools adjusts to unfamiliar back to school

WADSWORTH — Students and faculty alike found themselves adjusting to numerous unprecedented back-to-school measures Monday in Wadsworth. Students in grades 1-12 are being welcomed back to buildings Monday and Tuesday with attendance split between last names ending in A-L and M-Z. Unfamiliar sites today included desks and assigned seating replacing long tables in Isham Elementary School's cafeteria, as many as eight areas of Wadsworth High School being used for student lunches, Grizzly paw markings in playgrounds to ensure at least three feet of social distance and the last few minutes of high school computer lab time being dedicated to sanitation for the next class. All district students in grades one through 12 will return to buildings simultaneously on Wednesday. That will be followed by a first day for kindergarten on Friday and preschoolers' first day next Tuesday, Sept. 8. "Things seemed to be going great in my stops at our buildings today," Superintendent Andy Hill said. "It seems to be a good day. It's great to see kids back here and it's great to see our staff back here. At least so far, the protocols we've worked hard to put in place are working well. As the weeks go by, I'm sure tweaks will be made to certain things but, by and large, it's been a good first day." Protocols in place This past Friday, the district released a COVID-19 protocol demonstration put together by school nurse Lynn Decker, which can be found at shorturl.at/bikyY. A new list of broader information for the new school year has been made available at https://www.wadsworth.k12.oh.us/Content2/736. Those with further questions are encouraged to contact Decker at (330) 335-1403 or ldecker@wadsworthschools.org. The information available is necessary as school officials know COVID-19 cases will happen in the buildings and parents need to know what the district is doing to mitigate risks. It was revealed over the weekend that a member of Wadsworth High School's football team tested positive for COVID-19 prior to Friday night's kickoff against North Royalton. The Medina County Health Department determined that no additional members of the team would be required to quarantine. "We make sure to follow whatever the health department recommends as far as quarantining goes," Hill said. "I can't get into the specifics of this case, but through what we've been told by the health department, when a student tests positive, they're typically put into isolation for 10 days. If they do contact tracing and determine someone needs to be in quarantine as a result, that last 14 days." "I can't get into more because of the need to maintain privacy, but I imagine that what we've been told along the way is probably what's being followed," he added. Young students adapt Second-grade teacher Stephine Schmeltzer was impressed with her Isham Elementary School students' ability to follow protocols on their first day. "They did so well with the masks and social distancing and just kind of came in like it was a normal year," she said. "It really surprised me. They're young and it's really hard to remind them all the time to stay away from each other. The school's done a great job putting stickers on the floor and with the bear paws outside. The preparation in the district has been top notch." Schmeltzer said only two classrooms are permitted to be in the cafeteria simultaneously. "Every kiddo now has a desk with their number on it instead of the tables," she said. "They all sat down, ate their lunch, and were ready to get on with the rest of the day. It went really well." Two mask breaks were built in for Schmeltzer's students — one in the morning and one in the afternoon — that took place outside and lasted for about five minutes. Easing into a new routine Wadsworth Middle School teacher Rob Earle and his students practiced fire drill procedure during their outdoor mask break. "The kids were a little apprehensive to start the day but everyone seemed to ease into things," he said. "They were all troopers today and I didn't see one instance of someone being asked to put their mask back on in the hallway. Our one-way hallways helped a lot with traffic too and it's something I wouldn't mind keeping up even after all of this is over with." Some classes at Wadsworth High School on Monday held as few as four students, teacher Eric Heffinger said. "It felt a little empty for sure," he said. "I probably had about 12 students per class but only half of my day is in-person now. I teach three in-person classes and I'm a 10th grade online teacher for the other half of the day. We aren't going to have everyone back for a couple days, there are all the kids who've gone to online, and some we lost to other districts or home school." A recent district survey brought in 3,558 responses with 72.4 percent saying they're sending children back to Wadsworth buildings for in-person instruction. More than 25 percent of respondents are opting for the district's expanded online option, Wadsworth Wired, while roughly 2 percent said they're withdrawing from the district. "We're all just kind of rolling with the punches like everyone else," Heffinger said. "Things aren't going to feel normal yet. I know it was different using the last two minutes of computer lab to clean stations up for the next class. Our main lunchroom is separated to make contract tracing easier and I think there's eight different lunch rooms the kids can be eating in. "All things considered, I think everyone is doing a good job adjusting." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.