Interesting School Hybrid Plan I Heard About

[ProfessorGAC]

Schools in a town of around 5,000, 8 miles to our SSW has proposed a reopening idea. (We live about 60 miles SW of Chicago)
Not making a judgment or providing a critique, just posting the information.
They acquired banquet tables, plus the cafeteria tables.
The cafeteria & gym will be set up with socially distancing, one kid at each of 2 corners of each table.
All learning will be over the WiFi for those grouped that way, with a quarter or third of the kids actually in the classroom. They rotate from classroom to the larger rooms on different days.
Aides will be assigned to those large, distanced rooms, (rather than the classrooms) for oversight & modest one on one help.
So, they're doing online learning 66-75% of the time, but actually on site.
Parents who wish their kids to do full at-home distance learning are free to do so.
Just thought this was an interesting hybrid approach.
I have no way to determine if it's better, worse, or the same with respect to risk.

[FBaggins]

1. Well... it would provide skills that are common in most professional fields

Is the school providing hardware?

[ProfessorGAC]

5. They Already Do

Chromebooks
I've subbed there a few times. That's why I know for sure.

[genxlib]

2. That is an interesting idea

But I wonder about all the other logistics such as transportation and food service.

It certainly would help relieve a lot of the at-home stress of parents needing to go back to work.

However, I am not sure it would be practical for any larger school districts. My daughters high school was nearly the size of that entire town.

[ProfessorGAC]

6. I Should Have Added That

Any student not 1.5 miles or more away, no bus.
And, lunch is supposed to be in place or in classroom, in several 20 minute shifts, so there's no mass gathering in the cafeteria.
There are 3 buildings. K-5, 6-8, and HS. The HS is big (nuke plant $) but the others moderate.
I'd guess class sizes are high 20s.
You're probably right that this would be hard to manage in a very large school.

[unblock]

3. our town has 3 proposals, hybrid something like that is one of them.

fully at home, fully at school, and hybrid.

fortunately, any parent can override the district's decision and they will provide distance learning for anyone who wants their kids to stay home. we're taking that option no matter what, though i recognize that distance learning is inconvenient for many. it's a challenge for us given mini-unblock's learning issues, but at least mrs. unblock is available to help.

personally i don't see the point in any in-school time except possibly for one-on-one special assistance. that's comparatively safe, and may be essential for learning. the "social" aspect is highly overrated because no safe plan allows for anything like real social interaction anyway. they only provide a tease or an illusion of social interaction, compared to zoom.

[democrattotheend]

4. This seems like a good idea

I would hope they'd give priority for in-person spots first to lower income students (who are less likely to have high speed internet, an available computer, etc. for online schooling) and then to students with both or the sole parent working.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. Every Kid Is There

That is, if the parents permit it.
Everybody is there every day, but they rotate into the classroom on different days, otherwise they're in the gym or cafeteria.
Every kid has some access to teachers & aides, daily.

[Igel]

8. Two things.

Almost all cases are spread by droplets or otherwise airborne means. What's air volume turnover?

Masks and distance mitigate the transmission rate. Who are the enforcers of the 2-meter rule, how do they handle kids getting up to to go the bathroom or teacher circulation or the kids in the hall? How do they enforce mask-wearing?

Small town, probably low infection rate, so it's salvageable.

I teach at a school of over 3,500 students with upwards of 350 adult staff. My high school campus on a typical day is almost the size of the town in the OP.

[ProfessorGAC]

9. Someone Else Mentioned That

You're both right that this probably only works where there's 300-400 kids in each of the buildings.
As to airborne spread, masks are still mandatory.
There was nothing in the story about extra mitigation in the air handling systems.