Midlands school district to lift this COVID-19 precaution from classrooms
.jpeg)
Later this month, a sign of the COVID-19 pandemic that became a common feature in classrooms during the fall will begin to disappear from one Midlands school district.
Lexington 1 will begin removing plexiglass dividers from its schools beginning April 19, superintendent Greg Little announced in an email to parents.
Dividers were installed on each classroom desk as students slowly began to return to in-person classes earlier this year. The clear shields divided students from each other and their teachers on three sides, in hopes of stopping the spread of the coronavirus inside the Lexington district’s schools.
“Because of the current low numbers of positive cases throughout our district, we believe there is benefit to removing the plexiglass,” Little said in the email.
Schools in the district will continue to require face masks and social distancing to reduce the spread of the disease, Little said.
The removal of the barriers could be scaled back or postponed, however, if Lexington 1 records any increase in cases after students come back from their spring break this week.
“We ask you to help us by not letting down your guard over spring break,” Little writes. “Continue to take safety precautions such as masking and physical distancing. We must all work together to stay safe and healthy as we begin the final stretch of this school year.”
As of last week, Lexington 1 reported 25 active student cases of COVID-19 and eight cases among staff, according to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard. Another 359 students and 36 staffers were in quarantine before the district went on spring break.
Lexington 1 middle school students are scheduled to return to in-person instruction five days a week when students return to class next Monday, after elementary school students already made the transition last month. High school students will also return to regular instruction sometime shortly afterwards, the Lexington 1 school board was told March 16.
.jpg)