Green Bay Area Public School District to have reopening plan by the end of July

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - Green Bay Area Public School District administrators say they will have a draft of what school will look like this fall by the end of the month.  

We first told you last week, the district is looking at three different options of learning: on-line, in-person, or a hybrid model.

Superintendent, Stephen Murley, gave an update to the school board on Monday and says the administration is still gathering input from parents, students and staff. 

Murley says one aspect staff continues to work through is how to offer education to students with special needs or health issues who will not be able to physically return to school.  

“We’re reaching out to parents and we’re going to be asking them if they prefer an off-site enrollment option,” said Murley. 

This week, the district will also put out a survey to students. 

One student board member asked how extra curricular activities will work. 

“Co-curricular do keep some students there, that’s just how it works, keeping them involved in that might be the only thing that gets them to school that day,” said Student Board Member, Noah Becker. 

Getting kids to school has also been a logistical challenge for districts. The district normally transports about 8,000 students via bus. 

Bus companies are having to decrease the number of riders to at least 50 percent capacity to ensure social distancing. 

Students will be strongly encouraged to wear a mask while on the bus and drivers will be required to wear them.  

Staff is hoping to get a more accurate count of how many students will be needing a ride if school is held in person this fall. 

“We’re also looking at a parent opt-out to ensure we have an accurate list of the numbers of students,” said Chad Jensema, transportation manager. 

The board also got an update on how students would get meals in both in-person and virtual learning scenarios.

Children in 4K-6th grade would have the option to eat breakfast and lunch in their classrooms or spaced out in the hallway. 

Middle and high school students would pick up their meals in the cafeteria and eat in the classroom. 

Meals will still be provided to students even if the district decides to do online learning, but what that would look like has yet to be determined.    

“We can possibly look at doing something with our buses, the routes where we go and pick up students. There are going to be food service employees that are going to be working who want to stay home that we can look at doing.  We want to do whatever we can to feed these students and get them what they need,” said Lynette Zalec, food service director.

A draft will be presented to the board and public by July 31.

The board will get the option to approve the plan at its August 3 meeting. 

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