By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Benton High School has closed for two weeks after a COVID-19 outbreak. Lindbergh Elementary School students returned to the classroom this morning after the coronavirus forced the school to go online for a couple of weeks.
St. Joseph School Superintendent Doug Van Zyl says the district still maintains the best education comes from classroom instruction, but if school officials believe they can’t keep kids healthy, they’ll switch to online for a time.
“And if we feel like things are kind of (like) catching a snowball going downhill, if there’s a way for us to slow it down by making an adjustment and going remotely then that’s what we’re going to do and we definitely appreciate our students and our parents understanding that,” Van Zyl tells St. Joseph Post. “We know it’s inconvenient for them.”
Van Zyl says school is going well, considering the adversity the district faces. He does acknowledge the district is experiencing inconvenience, stress, and anxiety this year unlike what staff and students have ever faced before.
Van Zyl says the district will close a school and switch to online courses depending on the situation.
“One staff member or one student can expose one person, just themselves, or they could expose 50 people,” Van Zyl says. “So, it really just depends on the situation and that creates a larger need sometimes within our schools.”
The two schools which have been affected so far are in opposite ends of the city.
Lindbergh is located in north St. Joseph, while Benton is the south St. Joseph high school. Benton students will receive instructions via computer through October 5th with the high scheduled to reopen on the 6th.
Van Zyl says there is one obstacle that really stands out as the district works through this semester.
“Well, I think just how brand new this is to everybody and you don’t have anybody who really can come out and say this is the best way to do it.”
Van Zyl says school officials usually can be guided by best practices, but there is no best practice for this. He says school districts throughout the region are doing the best they can and are sharing tips with each other.