Taylor Connard

Education 650

Covid-19 Training

The pandemic has caused school as we know it to completely change. Our students left

for what was supposed to be a few days, but ended up turned into months away from their

teachers and classmates. Clay County has been able to come back to school since September 8th,

but before that administrators were responsible for ensuring that every teacher was trained in the

new Covid-19 guidelines.

Over the summer, administrators were tasked with creating a guide for students to return

to school. At the board level, they had to decide what model Clay County would follow. They

ended up picking a blended model with last names A-M attending Monday and Tuesday and then

N-Z attending Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is reserved for mandatory meetings and

trainings. Administrators at the high school then had to take this revised model and come up with

their plan for the school. That plan changed almost weekly, but finally the guidelines and

schedule were provided to teachers.

This training was provided by the administrators and focused on what teachers were to

expect and enforce when students came back into the building. The first part was mandatory

masks for everyone. If someone could not wear a mask for health reasons, they would be asked

to go virtual. Temperatures are mandatory and all staff and students must have that taken daily. If

a teacher or student has a temperature of 100.4, they are to be sent home and quarantined. If they

have a negative test, they may return to school. Desks are to be cleaned after each student uses

them. The students can clean their own desks, but teachers have to ensure that it is done. If a

student or teacher gets Covid, every class that they attended has to quarantine for 14 days.
 This training was tedious and I can only imagine how it felt as an administrator giving it.

They are only doing what the CDC and state has mandated, but that can be hard for some staff

members to grasp. These changes are unlike anything we have ever seen, but that is when strong

leadership can help ease the burden. By being an administrator that communicates well and

listens to concerns, you are helping your staff cope with this unprecedented year.