PERRYSBURG, Ohio — A Perrysburg father said that he's concerned after claiming students weren't social distancing safely in classrooms at Hull Prairie Intermediate School (HPI) this week.
The father—who has asked to remain anonymous—has a child that attends the school. He said that fifth and sixth graders who are in a class size of about 25 are not sitting six-feet apart at their desks for most of the day.
He also said the district's original restart plan called for one student to sit at the end of the desk, meanwhile, another student would sit behind the same desk. But, that plan changed when it was decided that students sitting at the end of the desk couldn't do their work properly.
The father explained that two students now sit behind the same desk facing forward.
"Six feet kind of became three feet, which kind of became what it is now: elbow-to-elbow, sitting next to each other in most of their core classes," the parent said. "We social distance within our family. We've missed birthdays, vacations and now it just seems like it's all for nothing now. They're stuffed in this room and they're closer than they need to be, safely."
For grades K-6, the district currently uses Monday as a remote learning day. Students spend the remaining four days of the week back in the classrooms, learning in-person.
Families had the option to choose remote learning but the father said it wasn't a good option for his child.
He said he wishes the district would choose what he considers a "true" hybrid model where the class is split into two groups and attend either on Tuesday and Thursday or Wednesday and Friday, just like the middle and high school.
Tom Hosler, Superintendent of Perrysburg Schools, admitted that HPI is the district's most challenging building by far because of the age group school leaders are working with.
"We wanted to start with doing our best to try and make sure those students were engaged in class four days a week simply because at age 10 and 12, they're just not that independent," Hosler said.
He acknowledged students are sitting within six feet in classrooms with masks on, although he isn't aware of them sitting elbow-to-elbow. If that's the case, he said, it will be corrected.
Hosler mentioned the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Ohio Department of Health aren't requiring social distancing of six feet. Instead, they're recommending schools strive for six feet, if possible. If it's not possible, then cohorting of students and staff should take place and masks should be worn.
The superintendent has asked for patience as teachers adjust their seating arrangements to figure out what the best options are going forward.
Impact of COVID-19 on children
According to the CDC, children appear to be at lower risk for contracting COVID-19 compared to adults. While some children have been sick with COVID-19, adults make up nearly 95% of reported COVID-19 cases. Early reports suggest children are less likely to get COVID-19 than adults, and when they do get COVID-19, they generally have a less serious illness.