Norwin seeks input on proposed health, safety plan

Norwin wants the public’s input on its proposed health and safety plan for the upcoming school year, which includes returning fully to in-class instruction but does not require masks or social distancing.

The school district, which will maintain its Norwin Online Academy for students who do not want to return to class, is required to update its health and safety plan to be eligible for a grant from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund, Superintendent Jeff Taylor said in a statement.

The plan outlines various measures that the district intends to follow to keep students, faculty and staff safe. Norwin last school year used a mix of hybrid learning, fully virtual and fully in-class instruction, while some students remained online only.

The proposed plan reflects existing federal and state requirements related to covid and its mitigation measures, the district said. The school district is not required to adopt Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to received the emergency relief funding, Taylor said.

Students in kindergarten through sixth grade previously were provided an iPad, and the district said all students will have iPads in the coming school year.

Norwin will continue the cleaning and sanitizing measures it put in place during the past school year to prevent the spread of the disease.

The deadline for the public comments is 4 p.m. Wednesday; they can be made through an online webpage or by typing url.cafe/0144_r into a web browser. The district must submit the plan to the state Department of Education by July 30. The school board will not meet until Aug. 9.