Students will return to buildings across the Wright City R-II campus for the first time in five months when the fall semester of school begins next Monday, Aug. 24.

Much will look different for those who were abruptly displaced in March, with the sudden cancellation of in-person classes due to COVID-19.

For starters, the buildings will be emptier, with about 20 percent, or 300 of the district’s enrolled students, opting for the virtual learning format. First-year Superintendent Dr. Chris Berger says staff are eager to have students back in a learning capacity, regardless of the format.

“The major challenge is getting kids here and letting families know they’re safe and taking care of their social-emotional needs for an indefinite time,” said Berger. “We know the best place to educate kids is in the classroom, but for those families who weren’t comfortable with that, we understand and we’re ready to educate those kids as well.”

The district will be seeking increased family involvement to maximize potential for a successful fall semester.

“One message we want to get out to parents is that to this point, we’ve had three asks of parents,” said Berger.

The first of those requests is that, if possible, parents bring their children to school or students commute by bike or walking.

“There are no limitations on how many kids we can have on a bus, but we still identify that as one of the places that’s hardest to mitigate risks,” said Berger. “If you can provide transportation please consider doing so.”

With such a large percentage of the study body choosing to learn virtually, R-II is asking parents to stay actively involved in the child’s education process.

“Virtual will have a very different look this fall than it was last spring when we were putting it together on the fly,” said Berger. “Rigor is going to go up, and it’s going to require more parent engagement.”

The third request of the district is for families to monitor their children each morning for possible symptoms, as school will not be temperature checking each student.

“If your child has any minor symptoms of COVID-19, please keep them at home as a precaution,” said Berger.

There will be spot checks of students, while all staff will undergo a mandatory screening before the workday.

While R-II has not yet decided to require students to wear masks, the school setting will look considerably different. Desks will spread apart where feasible and passing times will be modified, with the high school hallways being one-way travel only. At the elementary levels, students will stay in the classrooms for specials, with teachers coming to them. Lunch will be served in the classroom at all grade levels.

“They’ll be within groups within their classes that will for the most part stay within that cohort within the class,” said Berger. “We’re successful if we can keep those close contacts to a minimum. We feel like when and if we have a COVID positive our close contacts are going to be minimized.”

The district continues to work closely with the Warren County Health Department for guidance on how to structure the school setting and respond to a potential positive COVID-19 case.

“Our mantra this fall is going to be mask, spacing and hygiene,” said Berger. “If we can be vigilant in those three things, we can mitigate much of the risk.”