New bus routes and new lunch rules. Here’s what is changing in Wake schools this year
Summer break is ending Monday for Wake County’s traditional-calendar students who will be heading back to the classroom — some for the first time in 18 months.
And while some things are remaining the same in Wake County, such as having to wear a face mask indoors, other things will be different this year.
Here are four things to know about the new school year :
Bus routes are changing
Parents need to check their children’s bus routes and times because they’ve likely changed from last school year.
Wake is dealing with a 16.9% vacancy rate among school bus drivers by having more drivers double up on routes. The majority of bus routes this school year will be “double runs,” in which drivers will have to build in extra time to pick up and drop off two different groups of students at each school.
Wake is estimating that the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times will be delayed by about 10 minutes. But delays could be much longer, especially during the first few weeks when routes are sorted out.
Parents can go to www.wcpss.net/Page/174 to look up bus routes for each school.
Easier for sick kids to return to class
Wake is returning to the pre-pandemic health practices that will make it easier for sick students to return to school.
Last school year, students who were sick for any reason, such as an earache or rash, had to get a negative COVID-19 test result or doctor’s diagnosis that it wasn’t COVID to return. The alternative was to stay home for 10 days.
That process will only be necessary this school year if students are showing symptoms associated with COVID, such as a 100.4 degree fever or higher, sore threat or shortness of breath.
Students who don’t have COVID-19 symptoms may return to school after they have gone at least 24 hours without a fever or the use of fever-reducing medicine.
Clustering students together
Wake elementary and middle school students will, when possible, only be around a specific group of children all day. This will reduce the number of students who may be quarantined if a classmate tests positive for COVID-19.
Elementary and middle schools will use classroom seating charts that will help determine how students are grouped when they walk to the cafeteria. The classroom seating chart will also be used to assign seats during meals.
Students will also be grouped for recess and other activities.
Seating charts will be also be enforced in school buses. Students aren’t supposed to change seats.
No more silent lunch?
Silent lunch should be on the way out for most, if not all, Wake schools.
Students will be allowed to talk during meals with classmates who are seated next to them. This includes when their masks are off while eating.
Schools are still being encouraged to try to limit the times when masks are off during meals to 15 minutes.
Last school year, concerns about COVID-19 transmission during meal times resulted in schools having students face the same direction and not being allowed to talk. This produced complaints from parents.
But even with the change in district guidance, Wake says principals still can deviate from them based on their unique needs.
A parent complained at a recent school board meeting that students at Sanford Creek Elementary in Rolesville are still required to face the wall during lunch and aren’t allowed to talk. A Wake spokeswoman said that due to crowding at Sanford Creek that makes distancing difficult, the school doesn’t allow talking during meals.
This story was originally published August 20, 2021 at 5:51 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article listed the incorrect school whose silent lunch led to complaints at a school board meeting.
