OMAHA — Nebraska’s public schools are progressing toward in-person classes this August, and the state is helping to finalize the plans an guidelines they hope will keep students & staff safe.
Schools will use a color-coded scale to decide what restrictions they’ll put in place when schools reopen this fall in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. State officials say schools considered “least at-risk” for spreading the virus will be labeled green on the scale, and students will attend classes as normal with some screening procedures in place. Schools facing the greatest risk will be coded red, triggering a return to remote learning only and no participation in athletics. Schools at moderate risk will end up yellow or orange, leading to restrictions that could include reducing the number of students in school at one time and requiring masks when feasible.
Meanwhile, a growing number of Nebraska parents are choosing to homeschool their children because of the pandemic. The Nebraska Department of Education had processed 3,400 requests as of Tuesday, up 21% from the 2,800 that had been processed at the same time last year. The total includes parents who were already homeschooling last school year. Officials said these numbers may go higher still, as parents continue to evaluate the reopening plans of their children’s schools and weigh the possibilities of home schooling against those plans.
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