School resumes, masks handed out

Each of the schools, Ralph Witters Elementary (RWE), Thermopolis Middle School (TMS) and Hot Springs County High School (HSCHS) have slightly different plans when it comes to the first day of school due to COVID-19, but a letter sent out to parents and guardians on August 14 addressed face covering use at all schools in Hot Springs County School District.

The letter advised the district would be requiring face coverings for all students and staff when six foot distance cannot be maintained.

The district will distribute five cloth face coverings to each student on the first day of school.

According to the letter, the wording of “Stand Up, Mask Up” will be used on the district level to remind staff and students that if you stand up your mask will need to be put on.

The letter explains that the district will not be performing health checks on students as they enter the building but asks parents/guardians to perform a daily screen on their students prior to leaving for school.

All schools will begin with Tier I, with schools open to students with some new health precautions in place, such as social distancing and the use of masks when social distancing is not feasible.

Tier II would be a combination of in-person instruction with possible intermittent closures and quarantining of students and staff. This will be hybrid or distance learning.

If necessary, the district has a Tier III plan, which would be complete closure of school buildings to students at the county or state level, just like we had at the end of this school year. This would mean distance learning only.

All three tiers have been approved by the state and it will be up to the district to follow the guidance of state and local health officials, meaning a tier could change at a moment’s notice.

Communication between parents and RWE will be through a new program called Schoolology. There was concern last year that parents were either getting too much information from a variety of sources, or not enough information for what they needed.

All communication regarding academics at RWE will be done through Schoolology. A learning video about the program is available for parents on the district website at hotsprings1.org.

School nurse Brenna Huckfeldt will be the liaison between local health officials and the school regarding COVID-19 concerns.

At TMS, communication will be streamlined this year through the Remind app and all student assignments that are on devices will be assigned on Google Classroom. No paper packets will be used this year except under certain circumstances.

There is a parent training video for the app on the school website that will show parents how to monitor their student’s learning and better understand how Google Classroom will be used if there is a transition to Tier III during the school year.

For high school students there will be few changes. The hotsprings1.org website, on the high school link, will be where teachers will keep lesson plans posted for students and parents to access during an absence or a switch to distance learning.

Urgent messages from any of the schools will still be sent through the automated phone/text system.

There are a few things parents will need to be aware of at each of the schools.

It is up to the parents to monitor their child’s health in order to keep everyone safe. Any student presenting as not well or with flu symptoms will be sent home.

Parents are asked not to drop their students off at any of the buildings before 7:50 a.m.

While the district would like to have all students back in the classroom, they do understand there are some parents or guardians that are apprehensive about sending their children to school.

Families that opt out of in person schooling have two basic choices – a full-time, virtual or remote education or home-based educational programs.

The district does not offer full-time remote education so students will need to be enrolled in a Wyoming Virtual School. The exception to this requirement would be students who qualify for homebound instruction for a specific period of time due to a medical condition. Parents will be required to provide documentation from a medical professional.

If a family chooses home schooling, there is a process which needs followed.

It will be the responsibility of every person administering a home-based educational program to submit a curriculum to the Board of Trustees each year showing that the program complies with state statutes.

If a family does plan on home schooling yet want their students to participate in extracurricular athletics or activities at HSCHS, they will need a two week notice in order to process the Wyoming High School Activities Association paperwork. Until completed, your student will not be able to participate.

Parents are encouraged to visit the district’s website in order to watch for changes if they become necessary.

Extracurricular activities

Just as much of the world has been affected by COVID-19, so has the extracurricular events within Hot Springs County School District #1 (HSCSD#1). Plans have been set in place through a collaborative effort with the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE), Wyoming High School Activities Association (WHSAA) and Hot Springs County health officials to offer extracurricular activities at the high school and middle school levels with restrictions for Hot Spring County students. 

Each sports venue in the state of Wyoming poses a different situation but must meet current WDE recommendations for gathering sizes. As of today, current recommendations from the 10th continuation of Wyoming State Health orders state that indoor activities may allow up to 250 individuals while outdoor events may allow up to 1,000 individuals. 

Those numbers are deceiving because 1,000 at the football stadium and 250 at the TMS gym would require people to wear masks as they wouldn’t be able to stay 6 feet apart. 

School facilities can accommodate the following number of people; HSCHS Gym (1,500), HSCHS Football Field (1,100) and TMS Gymnasium (480). The district will be applying for a variance to allow for 40% of the seating capacity. This will allow for socially distancing without requiring masks.

The following are some restrictions that you can expect when you attend extracurricular events at Hot Springs County High School, Thermopolis Middle School and while watching the Bobcats at away events.

A will call system will be in place for each event.  Participants for each sport will be allowed to place five household family members on their guest list for each event.  This list will remain constant until orders loosen or go away completely.

Exceptions to the five household family members must be approved by the activities director and building principal.

Away events pose a larger variance.  At this time, each school district will set their own policy. Some aren’t allowing visiting spectators while some will allow everyone. HSCHS/TMS Activities Director will work to inform parents/fans prior to each event.  3A East activity directors have confirmed that the visiting schools may bring up to 75 spectators. A visitors guest list will be developed to share with opponents once the number of participants is known.

Plan to be screened briefly at every event. Spectators not screened will be asked to leave to maintain a contact tracing list if someone tests positive and was at one of our events.  Use the high school and middle school main entrances to check into each event.

At HSCSD#1 events numbers will be limited so social distancing can be achieved and masks will not have to be utilized while viewing. Spectators are encouraged to bring a mask to use when social distancing can’t be maintained (concessions, restrooms, etc.)

Children must remain seated with parents for the duration of the event. Unsupervised children will be asked to return to their seats and may be asked to leave if they continue to be unsupervised.

Congregation after all HSCSD#1events is discouraged. All spectators are asked to leave the premises ASAP at the conclusion of the event.

HSCSD#1 has pixellot cameras in the HSCHS gym and football field.  All events held at these venues will be live streamed on the nfhsnetwork.com. Subscriptions can be purchased and events can be viewed online. This is an opportunity to socially distance, eliminate travel and still support student-athletes.  

People are asked to refrain from entering any HSCSD#1 facility when they are feeling ill.

Please note that events will be changing all year.  Refer to activities schedules on hotsprings1.org frequently to get the most up-to-date schedule possible. 

Questions concerning COVID-19 restrictions and HSCSD#1 activities can be directed to the activities director, Brandon Deromedi.  He may be reached at (307) 864-6533 or bderomed@hotsprings1.org.