Royal School District to hold ‘virtual community meeting’ on reopening

ROYAL CITY — Parents of Royal School District students and other district patrons are being invited to an online meeting, tentatively scheduled for July 29, to discuss the district’s options for the 2020-21 school year.

Royal superintendent Roger Trail called it a “virtual community meeting to get input.” Details on the meeting, including the time and how to access the meeting link, will be posted on the district’s website, www.royalsd.org. Spanish translation will be available.

Schools statewide were closed in mid-March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and stayed closed through the end of the 2019-20 school year.

District officials are writing the plan with the idea that kids will be returning to school for the 2020-21 school year. “That is our intent,” Trail said. But school reopening is subject to changing conditions, as the pandemic changes.

Trail said district officials met with representatives of the unions for RSD teachers and support staff this week. Meetings are scheduled with Royal City officials to talk about changes to school operation for the 2020-21 school year that could affect the city.

Trail cited getting kids to school as an example. Previously the district allowed children who lived within a mile of school to ride the bus under certain circumstances. But the social distancing required to ride the bus will make it more difficult to accommodate kids who live close to school, he said.

Kids who live within a mile of school may end up walking to school this year. That would mean more children on the streets before and after school, which is something city officials need to know about and plan for, he said.

A proposed plan will be presented to the Royal School Board at its regular meeting July 27. Once board members are comfortable with the plan it will be submitted to the Grant County Health District, Trail said.

A copy of the proposed plan should be available to parents and district patrons by July 31, he said. District officials will be asking for community reaction to the plan before Aug. 13, when it will be considered by the school board.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.