Masked, socially distanced staff at Belleville high schools welcome students to campus

Freshmen in Belleville Township High School District 201 began meeting with their teachers over a computer monitor weeks ago.

Thursday, they began meeting with them in person at both the Belleville East and West campuses. It marked the first time the high schools had been open to students since the shut down on March 18 to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, which causes the respiratory disease COVID-19.

Remote-only learning continued through the start of the new school year at the recommendation of the St. Clair County Health Department.

“I’ve talked to many parents this morning and (I commend) them for entrusting us with their children,” District 201 Superintendent Brian Mentzer said. “We have been painstaking in our preparation for this and I’m really excited that we’re going to have an opportunity to show our parents and our staff and our students that we can do this safely.

“We want to protect everyone.”

At Belleville East Thursday, the freshmen were greeted by staff who were socially distanced and wearing masked near a large wooden shelter that spanned the sidewalk leading from the main parking lot off West Boulevard to the large concrete staircase at the front of campus.

It’s there they filled out a health checklist and had their temperatures taken. Both will be required of students and staff daily, though the health checklist may also be submitted online before the student arrives on campus.

A similar process is part of pandemic-era education at the West campus, as well.

The transition from full remote learning to the hybrid plan originally set prior to the beginning of the school year, included three days of full remote learning this week. Freshman students will report for in-person orientation in two groups on Thursday and Friday.

That’s “just to reduce the number of kids on campus,” Mentzer said. “That’s generally the way we start the year so they can get acclimated without a large crowd of folks.”

Next week will be the same, but will include the return of sophomores, juniors and seniors on Thursday and Friday.

In-person classroom days will be added the following week, leading to a total five-week transition to the new schedule.

In the meantime, students and staff are required to wear masks, seating assignments will be spread at least six feet apart, and the district has designated doors and stairwells as one-way use only to help promote social distancing.

Families may also choose to keep their students on the fully-remote learning plan, Mentzer said.

The state uses a positivity rate threshold of an 8% seven-day average for three consecutive days to determine if a region should see additional COVID-19 restrictions. The positivity rate is the percentage of tests that come back positive.

The metro-east region, which includes St. Clair County, has had a seven-day average of more than 8% every day since Aug. 11, which triggered more restrictive mitigation measures that includes a ban on indoor dining and capacity limits on businesses.

As of Thursday, however, the positivity rate in Region 4 has decreased six days in a row, though it remains above the 8% threshold.

Mentzer said part of preparing for the transition plan was having a “walk through” with the health department to check procedures and plans.

“We’re here to take care of you,” Mentzer told one of the incoming freshmen.

Here’s where other metro-east districts stand on the transition:

ST. CLAIR COUNTY

St. Clair County’s daily positivity rate on Monday was 8.5%, with a seven-day rolling positivity rate of 7.4%.

In August, the St. Clair County Health Department recommended school districts strongly consider starting the year with remote learning. Ultimately, all but four of the county’s 27 districts heeded that advice: Dupo 196, Freeburg 70, Freeburg 77 and St. Libory 30.

Beginning Tuesday, all Dupo students through eighth grade will attend school in-person four days a week, with remote learning on Mondays. Before, students were attending school in-person two days a week, unless they opted in to a fully remote plan.

In the meantime, Dupo High School students will continue with their A/B hybrid schedule.

Mascoutah 19 is looking to begin a transition period where additional grades are reintroduce to the buildings over several weeks. Superintendent Craig Fiegel said the district was hoping to start the transition period the week of Sept. 28, but an official date has not been set.

MADISON COUNTY

While St. Clair County’s numbers have started to drop, Madison County’s have increased. Sunday’s positivity rate was 14.3%, and the seven-day positivity rate on Sunday was 14.05%.

Collinsville 10 moved from remote to hybrid learning Sept. 8, after the long Labor Day weekend.

Triad 2 also added more school days for its youngest students.

On Monday, all students through sixth grade moved to full-time in-person learning. Middle and high school students will stick to their hybrid learning schedule at least through the end of the first quarter, Oct. 9.

CLINTON COUNTY

COVID-19 cases have surged in Clinton County, hitting a 16.9% positivity rate on Friday. Clinton County Health Department spokeswoman Louise McMinn previously told the Belleville News-Democrat that there was not much support from the community when it came to following the guidance.

Students in Carlyle 1 started in-person learning four days a week on Monday.

Breese 12 postponed the start of the school year in August to prepare for remote learning. The school board voted Thursday to resume in-person instruction on Wednesday.

MONROE COUNTY

Monroe County reported two new cases on Monday. A total of 14 people have died, and 585 have tested positive.

The Columbia 4 school board voted Monday night to bring students back for in-person learning on Sept. 28. The school day will be abbreviated.

Waterloo 5 started the school year remotely, with the intent to start in-person learning Sept. 8. The district hasn’t started in-person learning yet, but the school board met Monday night to approve a new plan: elementary students will be back in class five days a week starting Sept. 24, and middle and high school students will be on a hybrid schedule beginning Sept. 30.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

Washington County reported 15 new cases on Monday, for a total of 164. One county resident has died.

In Nashville 49, students are already attending classes in-person five days a week. As of Sept. 11, the district said there were two active confirmed positive tests and three total positive tests since Aug. 12. There are 20 staff members and students in quarantine.

RANDOLPH COUNTY

As of Sunday, a total of 854 people have tested positive for COVID-19, and 772 have recovered. Eight people have died.

Sparta 140 gave students the option to start the school year with in-person learning, or to commit to remote learning for the entire first semester. On Friday, the district said those remote students could choose to come back at the start of the second quarter, beginning Oct. 19.

WAITING TO MAKE A DECISION

In both St. Clair and Madison Counties, some districts have committed to teaching remotely for at least the whole first quarter. Alton 11 and East St. Louis 189 will be remote at least through Oct. 16, and O’Fallon 90 will be remote through at least Oct. 22.

In other districts, administrators note in their return to learn plans that the plans are fluid, depending on the number of COVID-19 cases locally.

Edwardsville 7, Belleville 118 and O’Fallon Township High School 203 are three districts that have said they’re teaching remotely for the time being, and will continue to monitor local numbers.