West DFW News

When Glen Rose Independent School District (ISD) offered parents the option to return their children to class on Aug. 12 for live learning, 90% accepted the offer, according to Supt. Wayne Rotan.

“Our students and staff were so excited to be back that they were willing to do whatever they had to do,” Rotan told West DFW News. “We're doing temperature screenings before students can enter the building and obviously requiring them to wear a mask. We have not had one person balk on that. They are just so excited to be back learning again.”

As previously reported by the Glen Rose Reporter, Glen Rose ISD is among the districts in Texas that decided to open brick-and-mortar classroom learning this fall as COVID-19 continues to pose a threat throughout the U.S and globally.

Wayne Rotan | http://www.grisd.net/

“We're limiting our cafeteria capacity to a little less than 40% right now so we have dividers in the cafeteria and students sit six feet apart,” said Rotan. “We have a certain percentage of students eating in the classrooms. So, at the intermediate elementary, we're only feeding half of our students in the cafeteria each day and delivering sack lunches to the other half in the classroom and switching that out.”

Some 2,000 students attending school in person within the Glen Rose ISD are complying with the federal rules and regulations intended to keep people safe and slow the virus from spreading, according to media reports.

“We're not mandating masks at the elementary school but every morning, every kid that shows up is wearing a mask,” Rotan said. “Parents are doing that just to have the opportunity to have their children back in school.”

Even though the state of Texas experienced a surge in cases in recent months, the Glen Rose ISD was not deterred.

“A majority of our parents have to go to work and they need somewhere to take their students where they know the students will be safe and well cared for,” said Rotan. “Our staff has done a great job in the mitigation of any spread."

A total of 592,137 cases of coronavirus were reported statewide as of Aug. 27, with 11,805 fatalities, according to the Texas Department of State Health. In Somervell County, there have been 114 cases reported and two deaths.

Implementing the new protocols, says Rotan, cost the district a 4% budget increase.

“Our district administrative team, our parents and community came out with a great ‘Return-to-School protocol’ and the advice I’d give to other school districts is to be very diligent in following and doing what you say you're going to do,” he said.