Back in session: LPS welcomes back thousands of middle schoolers

On Thursday, LPS middle schools welcomed back all sixth, seventh, and eighth graders - teaching them new protocols and expectations as the year begins.

On Wednesday, sixth-graders enrolled in Lincoln Public Schools had the chance to explore and become familiar with their new schools before seventh and eighth graders joined them Thursday morning.

“The planning we put in at times was stressful, making sure that we had a safe environment but the kids make it all worth it,” says Dawes Middle School principal Liz Miller.

Principal Miller led reporters around the campus Thursday morning, showing the changes and strategies that have been implemented due to the pandemic.

Faculty say it’s thrilling to see the hallways full again.

“Yesterday and today when I was leaving my neighborhood I could see families out taking pictures and school busses on the streets,” says Pat Hunter-Pirtle, the Director of Secondary Education for LPS. “It’s just exciting.”

The first days of classes consist of going over new procedures and expectations that come along with the pandemic.

But unlike elementary schools – middle school students can’t be confined to one group or classroom for the majority of the day.

Hunter–Pirtle says they’ve implemented as much guidance as possible to minimize contacts throughout the day. Hallways are either one-way or split into opposite directions to avoid traffic.

In the lunchroom, capacity has been slashed – only 45 students can be in the lunchroom at a time. Students all face the same direction at tables, and every other seat is off-limits.

When it comes to entering and leaving school, each grade has its own door to use.

In the classrooms, desks and students are moved to maintain a social distance as much as possible. Not every classroom has the space to allow for six feet in between each student, but most have room for three to four feet, with one to two kids per table.

“It’s different, it’s hard, but we’ve just had no issues with students,” Hunter-Pirtle says.

“The kids did an amazing job of adjusting to the new safety protocols and our staff, I couldn’t be more proud,” Miller says.

Hallways are lined with signs that mark where students can sit or stand before recess and outside breaks, as well as reminders to social distance, wear a face mask, and the importance of public health.

Faculty and staff say they understand the stress of the uncertainties that lie ahead with the pandemic but continue to enforce that they are there for students, and ready to make changes at any time that may be necessary.

“We’re going to need to monitor and adjust. . . you can have all these plans but you have to see it when you have hundreds of kids and school. So we will do the monitoring and adjusting but also just have trust in us that we’re doing our best to keep kids safe and we will always do that,” Hunter-Pirtle tells Channel 8 Eyewitness News.

Of the nearly 450 students at Dawes Middle School, 139 students – 24% – have chosen remote learning. After sixth grade orientation on Wednesday, 10 students switched to remote learning and two switched to in-person classes.