Maryville R-II develops new COVID-19 in-school plan

Due to the increasing number of absences for COVID-19 and related quarantines, Maryville High School transitioned to a hybrid model of instruction on September 9 in the high school.

With  eight days of school in the history books, the Maryville School district had 101 students under quarantine for COVID-19 and five positive cases. Building breakdowns for quarantines are Maryville Early Childhood Center, seven; Eugene Field Elementary, 29; Maryville Middle School, 16; and Maryville High School, 49. With the district’s opening day enrollment at 1,434, COVID is accounting for about a seven percent absence rate.

On a hybrid schedule, high school students will be divided into two groups, green and yellow. Students in green group have last names beginning with the letters A-L. They will attend in-person classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and engage in remote instruction Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Students in yellow group, who have last names beginning with the letters of M-Z, will attend in-person classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and engage in remote instruction on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Specific details on this

schedule and expectations will be shared through the high school administration and instructors. Extra curricular activities and athletics will continue.

“It is our goal to keep students in school and preserve in-person instruction to the extent possible. High school hybrid instruction will reduce classroom enrollments so seating charts can be arranged for six feet of social distancing,” noted Superintendent Dr. Becky Albrecht in a release on the school’s website.

Students will not face quarantine due to classroom seating assignments. As a district, school administrators cannot guarantee students will not be quarantined as COVID-19 close contacts; as they will be interacting with other people. However, this hybrid schedule is believed to significantly reduce the risk during the school day.

“We recognize the significance of this change, but by making it we are doing what we can to ensure social distancing during school hours,” said Albrecht. “Please help us by doing everything you can to social distance outside school hours.”

This hybrid schedule will continue through first quarter which ends October 16. A decision on the schedule for second quarter will come later, following an evaluation of first quarter implementation and an analysis of current, local health data.

Northwest Technical, Maryville Middle, Eugene Field Elementary and Maryville Early Childhood were not impacted with the change. These buildings will continue with in-person classes five days per week.