Schools around the district who are back in school are taking everyday safety precautions to help keep the campus as safe as possible from COVID-19. Cactus Shadows has a set of its own safety precautions to help prevent the spread of the virus and keep the school running safely.
“I feel the school should really make sure that kids wipe down desks and don’t just make it optional. I feel like kids should wipe them down after or before class and make it mandatory. I think teachers should also be more strict about mask policies,” said Alex Grove, a sophomore.
The school is asking students to check their temperature everyday before coming to school, and if it is higher than 100 degrees then they are not allowed to come to school. Proper social distancing is being practiced and there are arrows pointing out the traffic flow of certain buildings including the 200 building and the 400 building to keep students spread out.
“I feel like the school is doing a good job so far. There is no way to make it 100 percent safe here however they are taking the right precautions and I am not worried,” said Colin Mesenbrink, a senior.
In the classrooms, masks are required by the district however there are no other specific precautions that are mandatory. Many teachers are handing out disinfectant wipes either before or after class to whip down the desks.
“I’ve created a system where students are expected to stay in or near their desks to limit exposure to other students. I also require all students to keep masks on at all times (unless taking a drink of water) and to make liberal use of hand sanitizer,“ said Brett Lineburg, a history teacher.
He also went on to discuss more ways that he’s been practicing social distancing the best that he can and trying to keep touching or sharing items with one another.
A maximum of five to six students are allowed at each table during lunch, and masks are required everywhere other than the table that students eat at. Security around campus is making sure that students have their masks on and if they don’t comply, they will be sent home for the day and possibly suspended. It’s a serious matter and schools around the district are implanting mandatory rules required by the district itself.
If seven cases of COVID-19 or more are present in the school, then the school must return to online learning until further notice. So far, schools appear to be taking it seriously due to the district’s strict rules, but we’ll see how effective everything is depending on how long the school stays open.