During the July 20 special meeting of Catasauqua Area School District Board of Education, board members voted to approve the district’s 2020-21 Health and Safety Plan, following a detailed presentation by Robert Spengler, superintendent; Dr. Christina Lutz-Doemling, assistant superintendent; Lois Reed, business supervisor; and the principals of Sheckler Elementary School, Catasauqua Middle School and Catasauqua High School.

Each of the district’s three schools have specific plans in place to address Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Department of Education guidelines.

Sheckler Elementary School

Sheckler Elementary Principal Eric Dauberman emphasized he and his staff do not want to scare or alarm the young students. He noted they are prepared to handle the new changes gently to allow for students to feel safe at school. He said he is encouraging the staff to wear plastic face shields instead of masks, so students can still see their teachers’ faces.

He noted there will be staggered arrival times for students. The school entrance will be blocked until 8:45 a.m. At this time, kindergarten through second-grade students are permitted to be dropped off. The third- and fourth-grade students may be dropped off starting 9 a.m.

There will be a school resource officer and teachers present to monitor for safety. In a change of pace for Sheckler, staff will not be permitted to open car doors.

Dauberman said he understands there will be some crossover for parents who have students in different grades, and the staff is prepared for that.

To avoid backing up traffic onto 14th Street, they have added a traffic loop through the lower parking lot.

Meals will be eaten in the cafeteria and gym spaces to allow for students to spread out and social distance. Teachers will monitor to enforce the distancing rules.

Dismissal will start early to accommodate extra bus runs and the additional procedures, Dauberman said. Students will be called down by bus number instead of classroom to spread out the student traffic. Some students will be dismissed out the front doors, and some will leave out the back.

There will be alternate areas for parents to pick up their students, as unauthorized personnel will not be permitted into the schools. A teacher will be at each exit to monitor the students leaving and keep track of pickups.

Dauberman noted they are utilizing self-contained classrooms to minimize work spaces and keep the students from traveling much. Teachers are also working on reorganizing classrooms to take out shareable equipment and emphasizing each student keep to his or her own space.

Dots will be added on the hallway floors to remind students of the 6-foot distancing rules when they do leave the classrooms.

Dauberman noted they are shutting down the book sharing in the school library. Instead, they are encouraging students to use EPIC for digital book sharing.

Large group gatherings are being reduced. When possible, staff will utilize the outdoor fields and grassy spaces to allow students to spread out. The playground equipment will be closed.

Since the gymnasium is being used for additional lunch space, gym classes will take place outside when feasible or in the large group room. He said how thankful he is for the creativity and ingenuity of Tracy Perl, Sheckler physical education teacher.

Catasauqua Middle School

CMS Principal Melissa Inselmann noted she and her staff have also changed the arrival protocols for students, who will now be utilizing four separate doors for entering the school - one for each grade. Doors open 7:40 a.m.

The front main door will be for fifth grade. The lower side door entering into the cafeteria is for sixth grade. The front door by the flagpole entering into the auditorium is for seventh grade. The side door by the memory garden entering into the gymnasium is for eighth grade.

Inselmann noted they will provide videos and digital graphics of the various entrances to ensure everyone understands the new procedures.

Breakfasts will be grab-and-go style, with staggered times for each grade. Students will eat in their homerooms.

As in Sheckler, there will be dots in the hallways to remind students of the required 6-foot distance.

To reduce traveling in the hallways, students will remain in their classrooms, and teachers will move from room to room. Students and teachers will utilize new technological resources to reduce the need for shareable materials.

According to Inselmann, they had to get creative with the classrooms to allow for higher enrollment numbers - especially in seventh grade - while maintaining safe and appropriate distancing. There will be specific seating arrangements in the classrooms and lunch areas.

Due to CMS’ small cafeteria, overflow lunch seating will be in half of the gymnasium. Large group gatherings, such as dances and field trips, will not happen.

Inselmann noted there will be no group bathroom breaks. Students will use a QR code to access a Google form and schedule bathroom time.

Dismissal will begin 1:50 p.m. and will be staggered by grade.

Events such as meet the teacher night will be held virtually.

Catasauqua High School

CHS Principal Adam Schnug noted he and his staff will also be utilizing staggered arrivals for the students. There will be different entrances depending on students’ method of transportations.

The school building will open 7:30 a.m., and students will go directly to their first-block classroom. If they require breakfast, students can get a grab-and-go breakfast and eat it in the classroom.

Schnug noted the block scheduling already allows for less traveling time in the hallways.

He said they are dissolving the Rough Rider period Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays to cut down on transitions. It will still be held Wednesdays to allow the students time to work on extracurriculars.

Traffic in the hallways will be regulated and have a one-way flow to allow for more organization. Schnug noted they are extending the transition time between classes to five minutes to allow for the new traffic patterns.

He also noted they are adding a fourth lunch period to better spread out the students and allow for proper social distancing in the cafeteria.

Teachers are getting creative with assignments and how to have students turn them in, it was reported. Some will allow students to take pictures of their work or turn assignments in online. This will cut down on the back-and-forth exchange of papers and materials.

For dismissal, students will utilize multiple exits depending on where their fourth-block classroom is located. Using these different exits will stagger and spread out the students.

Schnug noted they are canceling all large group gatherings except for one - graduation.

“They deserve this,” Schnug said about an in-person celebration of their years in high school.