MBS return to full capacity at high school, junior high

Mountain Brook Schools increased student capacity at Mountain Brook Junior High and Mountain Brook High School to 100% beginning Oct. 19 despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our teams at both schools have worked diligently to create plans for reopening safely at full capacity,” according to an MBS statement Oct. 16.

A rotating schedule for attendance will be implemented in upper elementary grades within classroom groups.

These changes in the MBS reopening plan were also announced by Superintendent Dicky Barlow in a statement Oct. 6.

In the new schedule, secondary students will attend school on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with a “virtual day” on Wednesday, Barlow said.

Barlow said MBS made the decision after Jefferson County Health Officer Dr. Mark Wilson released guidance Oct. 5 stating it’s now reasonable for secondary schools to have more flexibility with in-person attendance.

“The relative risks related to the spread of COVID-19 versus the benefits of in-person instruction for secondary schools have shifted to the point that is now reasonable to consider a more flexible approach going forward,” Wilson said in a news release.

Wilson noted that “there is still significant spread of COVID-19 throughout Jefferson County” and that “there is still risk of transmission of the virus within schools.”

However, “there has not been clear evidence of spread in our schools during class time,” Wilson said.

Barlow said MBS officials have consistently relied on guidance from the Jefferson County Department of Health, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama State Department of Education.

Until the latest guidance from the JCDH, “Implementing a hybrid schedule at the secondary level and a cohort model at the elementary level” seemed to be the best way to keep people safe, Barlow said.

However, the district never intended to maintain these schedules long-term, he said.

“We know our students learn best when they are in classrooms interacting with their teachers and peers daily,” Barlow said.

MBS will continue to offer a full-time virtual option for all students in kindergarten through 12th grade, he said.

The virtual day planned each week has several purposes.

“Since our teachers are supporting traditional and virtual learners simultaneously, the virtual day will allow them time to plan and support both groups of students,” Barlow said.

The virtual day “will provide opportunities for students to continue their learning and receive support and intervention to combat the challenges of the first 9 weeks,” he said.

Finally, the virtual day will give custodial staff extra time to thoroughly clean school facilities, Barlow said.

Even with the scheduling change, the “strict safety guidelines and procedures outlined in our plan remain largely unchanged from the previous version,” Barlow said. “Our schools will continue to follow them closely to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

Barlow stressed that the Oct. 19 “shift doesn’t change our district’s commitment to masking, distancing and practicing good hygiene.”

Contact tracing is also important “in mitigating the spread and impact of COVID-19 in our schools,” the Oct. 16 statement said.

Barlow noted that the schools will still face challenges related to the virus as they bring more students back into the schools.

“We will do everything in our power to keep students spaced as far apart as possible in all situations but acknowledge that space constraints in our buildings may make it difficult to maintain 6 feet of distance at all times,” he said.

In addition, the district must follow quarantine procedures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that identify individuals as close contacts if they are within 6 feet of a positive COVID-19 case for 15 minutes or longer.

“We could see a rise in the number of quarantine-related absences” Barlow said.

School officials will continue to look at new data regarding the spread of COVID-19 and will remain flexible in their planning, he said.

The “ultimate goal” is to bring students back to school full-time, Barlow said.