CLARIFICATION: The Hays USD 489 Board of Education has yet to vote on the reopening plan. See related story HERE.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays superintendent of schools Wednesday said the district would have liked to have more time to prepare for the reopening of schools, but will move forward with an August opening.
Hays USD 489 original school calendar, which was previously approved by the local school board, has classes beginning on Aug. 13. The school board hopes to review the reopening plan during a special meeting in the next two weeks and will determine an opening date at that time.
"We have been doing all of our planning anticipating that we would be starting school in August," Wilson said via email. "However, had the governor’s order been approved, we would have used the additional time to continue to work on our return to school plan, as well as it would have given our teachers more time to plan for a possibly unusual school year."
Wilson said the district would have most likely used the extra time and added some professional development days for teachers to help them better prepare for the upcoming school year.
"I think the additional time would have definitely allowed for our teachers and administration to gain some additional time to adjust their plans based on KSDE Navigating Change document that was just released on July 16," Wilson said.
Some school districts have been struggling to secure the necessary cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment that will be needed to start in-person classes.
Wilson said the district has the appropriate amount of needed cleaning supplies to start the school year. Rusty Lindsay, director of buildings and grounds, told the school board on Monday the district had difficulty finding disinfecting wipes. They had to improvise.
The district ordered dry wipes and disinfecting solution and will moistening the wipes in the solution in plastic bags.
Wilson said he is hopeful the district will also have all the needed PPE equipment/supplies by the start of the school year as the demand for these types of equipment has really become tight.
"We know that the last five months have been challenging times for our students, families and school staff," Wilson said. "We know that going into next year there are still a lot of unknowns, but we are excited about the thought of getting kids back in school. We will continue to plan and adapt as we need to for the safe return of our students and staff."
Clarification: 9:44 a.m. Thursday, July 23: Noting that the Hays school board is yet to vote on the final reopening plan and reopening date.