POLSON — In-person learning started last Wednesday in Polson and school officials say they’re taking extra precautions making sure students and teachers stay safe while in the classroom.
Polson School District Director of Maintenance Dan Giles says the district is sticking to a strict plan that keeps students safe and clean for in-person learning.
“So in-between classes will have spray bottles in each class and we will designate one person to spray down all the desks and tables, and each student is actually taking paper towels and wiping down their own desks and throwing those away before they leave the classroom, so it’s clean and ready for the next class,” said Giles.
He told MTN News it’s a total team-effort for staff and students making sure classrooms stay clean and sanitized on a daily basis. Giles says the district has installed portable sinks in classrooms and hallways encouraging students to wash their hands frequently.
“Really encouraging kids to wash their hands all the time, hand sanitizer, we have that everywhere,” said Giles.
Polson is starting the school year on a hybrid model so all students in the district are required to stay home for remote learning on Fridays. Giles said the district will utilize that off-day for deep cleans in every school.
“It does give us a little time to do a little more deep cleaning, we’re already disinfecting every single night and cleaning every single night, but yes it definitely gives us a little more time to do some detailed stuff,” said Giles.
He added that the school district will continue with these cleaning methods and will adapt to any updated state or US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
“The most important thing for us is keeping staff and kids as safe as possible and as CDC guidelines change, we change right along with them,” said Giles.
Giles said all elementary school students are eating lunch in classrooms instead of the normal cafeteria setting, which helps with social distancing.
