ROCK SPRINGS — Plans to re-enter school on August 17 were outlined in detail and approved by the Sweetwater County School District No. 1 Board of Trustees Wednesday night.
The Smart Start Plan, which was required by the Wyoming Department of Education, covers everything from health and safety measures for cohesive re-entry to three options parents can choose from in educating their students this fall. It was developed by a district task force that was charged with designing safe and comprehensive ways for students, teachers, and staff to go back to school in the wake of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
State health and CDC guidelines will play a large part in whether the plan can even go into effect in August. Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon extended the current guidelines through July 31, but the plan lays out detailed actions the district will follow should schools be allowed to open next month.
Four Components
The task force addressed four main components in the re-entry plan: communications; safety and wellness; school operations; and instruction and technology.
Communication is embedded throughout the entire plan, and the district will begin sharing information about its components with its staff and the community beginning today, said Superintendent Kelly McGovern.
In terms of safety, “we are doing everything that we can for our students and for our staff to feel physically, emotionally, and socially secure and safe in this plan,” said McGovern.
Parents will be encouraged to screen their kids daily for signs of illness and keep them at home if they’re feeling sick. Students involved in activities will be required to sign a waiver of release and complete required training before beginning summer activities. All students, coaches, and sponsors will be required to have temperature screenings by district-provided kiosks upon entry into any school or facility.
If students are not feeling well, a chain of communication and response has been developed so the situation can be dealt with quickly and in the least impactful way possible.
Three Tiers
Parents will have the option to send their children to school in a traditional manner, use a hybrid model in which half the students are on site each day and the other half are learning online, or use the full virtual option.
“To get a process approved by our state and local health officials, it was very, very intensive,” McGovern said. “I can tell you that the revisions we sent back and forth were numerous.”
McGovern also said the district will be utilizing the Swivl camera, a new technology that allows students to follow along with classroom instruction from a virtual setting in real time.
Department Heads
Each department head discussed their plans for handling back-to-school protocols. Nutrition Services Director Angie Erramouspe said her department has served over 300,000 meals since the COVID-19 shutdown occurred. She added that free meals will be available for students 18 and younger through August 31 at which time parents will be required to apply for the free and reduced meals program again.
Transportation Director Joe Clingenpeel told the board that buses will be sanitized “at least twice every day and in some cases three or four.” He also said there will be alternative seating on the buses, and when that’s not possible, students will be provided with face masks.
Angie Erramouspe 
Joe Clingenpeel 
Kayci Arnoldi
“We are going to ask parents if it’s at all possible to bring their kids to school,” Clingenpeel said. “It just give us more room for social distancing on our buses.”
Special Services Director Kayci Arnoldi said her department’s goal is to have kids in school because “kids learn best when they’re in the classroom,” but the option to learn online can be beneficial to those students who suffer from social anxiety or those with high health risks.
Information Technology Director Stephanie Tolman said every student in the district will have the option to take a laptop home, and everyone will have access to wi-fi when they do.
Following the presentation, the board voted unanimously to approve the proposed Smart Start Plan. Governor Gordon is expected to make another decision on state health guidelines on August 1.
A portion on last night’s school board meeting can be viewed below.
