School Reopening Plans Firm Up
Potter-Dix Opens Aug. 19 And Banner Aug. 17; Kimball Next To Decide
July 30, 2020

Daria Anderson-Faden / The Observer
About a100 people attended the Parent/Community Forum on Tuesday, July 21, at the Kimball Jr/Sr High School. Superintendent Trevor Anderson presented information to parents about the re-opening of school. Social distancing will be implemented districtwide along with other safety measurers, such as different entry and exit points. The COVID-19 situation continues to be fluid and many decisions will not be finalized until a later date. The Kimball H.E.L.P.S parent group is working with the school district to get information out to the parents.
Monday, July 27 the Potter-Dix School Board approved the proposed reopening plan in a 6-0 vote. School will start Aug. 19 with an 11:30 a.m. dismissal.
The proposal included information about pre-testing and assessing students to determine if skills are lacking and if there is a need for remedial instruction.
Plans are coming together for the 2020-21 school year across the area.
In other area school districts, Banner County School is set to open Aug. 17 and the Kimball School Board was expected to discuss reopening plans on Wednesday this week for Kimball Public Schools. (The board scheduled Kimball's opening day for Aug. 20.)
In Potter-Dix, the situation with COVID-19 is ever changing and plans may have to be modified, but the district is spending extra time cleaning and disinfecting.
The district also will be encouraging social distancing and hand washing, and hand sanitizer is available. Students will be assigned regular seating on busses to help identity close contacts.
Potter-Dix Superintendent Patrick stated that the "best way to keep school open is to keep kids home if they are sick."
According to the plan, "If there are any confirmed cases within the staff or students only the people required by PPHD would be quarantined and the rest of the district would function as planned."