Lewiston schools plan for a normal year

The Lewiston School District is forging ahead with plans for a highly anticipated return to in-person classes this fall with no mask requirement, even for unvaccinated students and staff.

New case numbers in the community have slowed to a trickle after vaccine eligibility expanded in the spring to include anyone 12 and older. Superintendent Lance Hansen hopes it brings the revival of some pre-pandemic normalcy.

“We’re looking forward to opening up this school year with a more normal setting for the students — one that allows them to interact in a way they haven’t been able to for a while,” Hansen said. “Now, with the virus and its variants, we’re definitely going to be in a position where we can evaluate the impact.”

The easing of pandemic restrictions for kindergarten through 12th grade came last week when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new guidelines for schools. The recommendations state vaccinated students can go maskless this fall while their classmates without shots should continue to wear face coverings indoors.

But many states and public schools, including Lewiston’s, have already gone their own way — lifting mask mandates and returning to a focus on in-person education. The school district will rely on protocols established last year in the event of community spread.

“Having the ability to go away from those types of restrictions is only going to be helpful for everyone in the school,” Hansen said. “And our employees and families are very good about notifying us of any status changes related to potential infection with the virus.”

The school district has maintained communication with local public health leaders, which it relies on for updated information if the current situation were to change.

Carol Moehrle, director of the Public Health – Idaho North Central District, said she’s also counting on a normal start followed by students staying healthy throughout the school year. However, the health district is still waiting on the Idaho State Department of Education in Boise for guidance they may have on reopening, particularly when it comes to masks.

Moehrle’s agency serves Clearwater, Idaho, Latah, Lewis and Nez Perce counties.

“I don’t know what they’ll be recommending to the schools,” Moehrle said. “But if the summer trends continue into the fall, we should have a safe open and we should continue to have few cases in our communities.”

The much-awaited return to ordinary operations means the school district may no longer need to track transmission the way it once had. Starting last fall, parents, faculty and staff members received an email every morning with the latest rundown of cases separated by new, active and total for each school.

Kim Eimers, director of student services at the school district, was instrumental in that effort. She says current plans are subject to change if new information or recommendations become available, and much is dependent upon “unknowns.”

“We’ll still continue to track any cases and work hand in hand with public health like we have in the past,” Eimers said. “Whether that takes on the same form as it did last year is unknown.”

Maintaining safety, specifically with live teaching and learning methods, is still a focus.

Hygienic practices like hand-washing, getting tested and staying home when sick will stay in place, she said. The custodial team will also continue to disinfect high-touch areas.

“The protocols we’ve put in place were just extensions of protocols we had already had for when students got sick,” Eimers said. “We just enhanced them to include some of the other symptoms that accompany COVID-19.”

While the school district’s intent is to be face-to-face from day one, as it did last year, some virtual options are still available for families who prefer remote instruction.

Idaho Digital Learning Alliance, a digital institution introduced long before the pandemic to supplement courses offered locally, is available to older students. However, students in kindergarten through 12th grade will need to look outside the school district for online opportunities, according to Hansen.

Administrators previously utilized pandemic relief funds to source remote schooling for younger students, but it’s a service they’re no longer paying for.

“We chose not to continue that particular service because the funding mechanism used to offer it is not there anymore,” Hansen said. “And a fair number of those youngsters returned to us before the end of the school year.”

Though it’s possible in-person plans could be disrupted, Brad Rice, president of Lewiston School Board, believes the virus may have run its course.

This is largely because of the widespread availability of vaccines, which the CDC is encouraging everyone 12 and older to get. Those recommendations will not be passed along to families in the school system, he said.

“We’re not taking a real position as a school district on what students should or shouldn’t be doing regarding vaccination,” Rice said. “That’s up to individual people to decide for themselves.”

The first day of school is set for Aug. 30.

Palermo may be contacted at apalermo@lmtribune.com. Follow her on Twitter @apalermotweets.