When Russell County moves out of the red category due to the number of COVID-19 cases and in-person instruction resumes, changes will be made at the elementary schools in the district.
Elementary schools will begin utilizing the hybrid schedule implemented by the middle and high school.
The hybrid schedule splits students into two groups, based on the first letter of the student’s last name. Students with a last name beginning in A-L will have the option to attend classes in-person on Monday and Tuesday. Students with last names beginning in M-Z would attend Thursday and Friday. All students will be virtual on Wednesday as the district performs extra cleaning and sanitation at the schools.
Originally, elementary students attended four days per week, but a larger number of students than expected returned to the classroom, making social distancing in the classroom nearly impossible, according to Russell County Schools Superintendent Michael Ford.
The move to the hybrid schedule will also make contact tracing easier with fewer students affected, Ford said, as having cases in the schools seems to be almost inevitable with so many students.
Russell County remains in the red category moving forward, so a date for a return to the classroom is still currently up in the air.
