Q&A: Back to school
PHOTO: Students are back on campus, but some questions remain unanswered about what school may look like this year.
By Genna Olavarri,
BlueDevilHUB.com Editor-in-chief-
Between bringing laptops to school, wearing face masks and hand sanitizing 37 times a day, it is clear that this school year is going to look a little different for Davis High students.
While many burning questions about returning to campus were answered in the first two weeks of school, there are some lingering uncertainties that the HUB aims to clear up.
Q: Will there be normal events this year?
A: As of right now, DHS is planning to host typical events such as home football games — the first of which occurred on Aug. 27 — school plays and school dances.
“We are working closely with our District, Athletic Department, Music and Drama departments, and Student Government to determine what traditional events we can accommodate,” DHS principal Tom McHale said.
The next home football game is scheduled for Friday Sept. 10 and auditions for DHS Drama’s production of “Comedy of Errors” will take place on Sept. 13 and 14.
The homecoming dance is coming up on Saturday Oct. 16. According to All Student Body president Apurva Mishra, the dance is expected to be held outside in the football stadium, in accordance with current COVID-19 guidelines.
“It’s been a hard while for students in the time they’ve been away from school, but Student Government is… looking forward to making this year mean as much as it can for students in all grades,” Mishra said.
Q: Can students still receive a school chromebook?
A: During the first three days of school, 200 chromebooks were handed out to students. However, if any students did not receive a computer and still need one, they should “let their teacher know and we will make it possible for students to request one,” McHale said.
Students may still want to request a chromebook if they currently do not have access to a device they can bring to school or do not feel comfortable bringing their personal laptop each day.
Q: What will happen at lunch if the weather or air quality is poor?
A: According to McHale, indoor locations such as the South Gym will be made available to students if air quality is deemed unhealthy. “During rainy weather, we will do the same as well as make other spaces available out of the rain,” McHale said.
Until conditions warrant indoor eating, all students must eat their snack and lunch outside.
Q: What ever happened with the virtual academy? (Can students continue to attend school online this year?)
A: The virtual academy is a new program offered by the Davis School for Independent Study.
DSIS is offering hybrid and virtual learning models with options to enroll concurrently with another DJUSD school.
Students can learn more and apply for the virtual academy by going to the DSIS website.
Q: What happens when students are exposed to COVID-19?
A: Whether or not a student will need to quarantine after a COVID-19 exposure depends on their vaccination status and symptoms.
For instance, a vaccinated student with no cold or flu-like symptoms will not have to quarantine, while an unvaccinated student with unmasked exposure will need to quarantine for 10 days.
The Yolo County Department of Public Health defines an exposure as being within 6 feet of a person who has tested positive for at least 15 minutes within a span of 24 hours. DJUSD has asked teachers to assign seats and their class seating charts will be used for contact tracing.
Exposed students and staff will be contacted by the district and all positive cases must be reported to covid19reporting@djusd.net.
According to the district COVID-19 website, there are a few scenarios in which a temporary school closure may occur. If five percent of students and staff have tested positive within 14 days, for example, DHS will transfer to a distance learning model until it is safe to return to campus.
In August, there were 35 students and 10 teachers that tested positive for COVID-19 in the district, according to information presented at the DJUSD Board of Education meeting on Sept. 2. Students are encouraged to get tested, but regular testing is only required for students currently participating in a DHS sport.
“We are all in this together… I’m proud of everyone’s cooperation,” McHale said.
For more information about quarantine procedures and potential reasons for school closures, visit the Davis Joint Unified COVID-19 page: https://djusd.net/covid-19.
Have more questions about what to expect this year? Email the HUB at bluedevilhub.com@gmail.com or message us @bluedevilhub on Instagram.
