The first week of school in the Prairie Central school district was successful, according to Superintendent Paula Crane.
Crane feels all of the hard work which went into the planning to get students back to school paid off. Teachers and administrators carefully thought out what needed to happen in order to get the kids back safely and students have adapted to the current times.
“They have been amazing at wearing their masks, something we were very worried about,” Crane admitted. “We are extremely lucky to have the student body we do at all levels.”
Many high school students had to start off the school year in quarantine due to a non-school related event. Crane said this sparked a chain reaction of several others having to quarantine as well. Only one student has had to stay away due to a school-related exposure and Crane notes this is due to the student’s choice of transportation to school not provided by the district.
District leaders continue to learn from their experiences with high school students and have adjusted some protocols to deal with trouble areas.
“I’m confident that the high school will remain our most vulnerable school which gives us the opportunity to really focus in on the safety measures we are providing and how they are working,” Crane added.
The return to school didn’t come without the emotional impact of a pandemic.
“Seeing students from three-year-olds to seniors wearing masks and standing on designated spots is difficult for people who have entered a profession because of a love for children,” Crane observed. “We continue to pray for this to pass and look forward to the day we can give hugs to our littles and pats on the back to our older students who need this as much as we do.”
