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Date: 3/23/2021
SOUTHAMPTON – William E. Norris Elementary School is ready to allow students back into their doors for in-person learning five days a week starting on April 5.
During a School Committee meeting on March 18, William E. Norris Principal Aliza Pluta laid out the plan for how the school will follow the newest guidelines presented by the Massachusetts Department of Secondary Education (DESE).
According to Pluta, Norris Elementary was able to take out some of the tables in the cafeteria and put desks in there so students from grades four and five do not have to eat in their classrooms. The school was able to optimize space by adding two desks in a section where only one lunchroom table would be. Fourth and fifth grade students will have separate lunches to help promote social distancing.
“We’re going to be able to get the entire grade 4 in there for lunch,” said Pluta. “So that helps.”
The school is going to be monitoring this lunch decision to see how it effects their protocol moving forward. If the decision does appear unsafe, then Pluta will make the decision to split the students up, and move some back into the classroom while the rest stay in the cafeteria.
The principal added that every classroom in Norris will allow students to be 4 or more feet apart from each other, and seating charts will be recreated, so if there were a positive case, then teachers would be able to identify the students who did come in close contact with each other.
“We’re lucky that we’ve had kids back since September,” said Pluta, who added that the school continues to phase students back into an in-person setting. “For the most part, I think people are feeling good. Many teachers have been either vaccinated already for first shot or have an appointment to get vaccinated.”
The school currently has a spreadsheet that keeps track of inventory such as gloves, sanitization tools, masks and plexiglass dividers. The spreadsheet is updated on a regular basis.
“I think that moving away from being online to being in-person, I think kids are going to be happier; I think parents are going to be happier,” said Pluta. “But we still have to remind everyone that we still need to continue our routines and protocols.”
State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa also joined the meeting to discuss how the DESE guidelines affect Southampton directly. She reported that the town is on a “really good track” when it came to transitioning to in-person learning.
“If Southampton is good to go, then go,” said Sabadosa. She also denounced the state’s motive to take away any type of funding from schools, and added that she hopes the commissioner reconsiders the language surrounding that action.
“I would argue that the commissioner doesn’t have the constitutional authority to do such a thing,” she said.
As of press time, William Norris Elementary has no confirmed COVID-19 cases.