A new safety feature in pandemic: Desk shields will be used in each Sumter School District classroom by all students moving forward this semester

Cleaning checklists, personal protective equipment supplies and health services are buzzwords in Sumter School District in the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted discussion at Monday's board of trustees' meeting.

District administrators in charge of operations and student support services, the district's lead nurse, an outside study consultant on air quality issues and others discussed current safety protocols with the school board.

After four weeks of fully virtual instruction in January, the district will return on Monday to a hybrid/blended model that includes two days per week of face-to-face instruction for students.

When students return, classroom desks will feature desk shields, according to district Executive Director of Operations Samuel Myers.

Given 6-feet social distancing protocols, classrooms will generally have 10 to 12 desks, Myers said.

Less than half of the district's students have opted to learn in a classroom this school year, and there have not been reports of widespread virus spread within schools.

Classroom tables also have desk shields, and, like other PPE supplies, federal CARES Act stimulus funding provided to the district covered the cost of the shields, some of which are new.

Like in the fall, teachers and students will also wear face masks in the classroom.

Recent air quality testing in selected classrooms by an outside consultant showed room air quality to be good, according to a board presentation. Board members are still considering various options that could improve air quality, including purifiers and ionizers, but have not made a unified decision.

On Tuesday, the district announced it will return to the hybrid/blended learning model. The hybrid will include two days of face-to-face instruction in the classroom per week for all students whose families decide they want them to return.

The other three days per week, students will continue to learn virtually and online at home.

Like previously, each Wednesday staff will deep clean school facilities.

As a key note, parents still have the option to keep their children in fully virtual instruction for the entire spring semester.