Students will be phased back into classes next week in the South Butler County School District.

Like other districts in the county, South Butler students have been learning at home using district laptops since the most recent surge in COVID-19 cases began.

Superintendent David Foley sent a letter to school families on Monday detailing the process of returning all students to school.

Beginning on Monday, Jan. 11, all elementary students will return to in-person learning at the primary and intermediate elementary schools.

Those schools educate students in kindergarten through fifth grades.

Secondary students also will begin returning to school on Jan. 11, but in a hybrid model.

Students whose last names begin with A through L will attend on Monday and Tuesday and the remaining secondary students will attend on Wednesday and Thursday.

Students will learn at home on the two days per week when they are not in school. All secondary students will learn remotely on Fridays, when the middle and high schools will be cleaned.

“Please note that the hybrid plan at the secondary grade levels allows us to measure transmission of the virus that may have occurred throughout the holiday season, while allowing our secondary students to get reacclimated to being in our buildings,” Foley said in the letter.

He said all students will be required to follow the state face-covering mandate by wearing their masks or shields properly while on the bus and at school.

Foley asked that parents collaborate with the district by reinforcing the importance of wearing a mask over the nose and mouth, and that they notify the school building's main office if their students test positive or need to quarantine.

“This will help us to complete any contact tracing necessary prior to our January 11 return,” Foley said.

Foley said on Tuesday that only “a few” staff members are currently sick or in quarantine at home due to the pandemic, so staffing is not currently an issue in any of the schools.

“But none of us know what tomorrow will bring,” he said.

He said the district invested in misting machines that are used for sanitization each day in every classroom.

Moving forward, should four to six individuals test positive for COVID-19, the district will likely close down for three to seven days, Foley said.

If more than seven cases arise, that would mean a 14-day closure to fully sanitize every inch of the school's four buildings, he said.

Regarding parent feedback, Foley said he feels most parents understand how difficult and unprecedented the pandemic has been for school officials.

“I think parents have been supportive and patient with me and the entire district,” Foley said. “We are trying to find strategies to keep kids learning.”

He said while all agree that having students in a classroom in front of their teacher is the best method, he and other administrators are doing their best to educate students whether they are in school or at home.

“We're learning as we go, too,” Foley said.

He said teachers have embraced the technology purchased by the district during the pandemic, including the livestream classes held between teachers at students at home.

“We are trying to figure out better ways to use our technology to reach more students,” Foley said.

Regarding the virus, he said three Knoch Cyber Academy students, one primary school staff member, one middle school staff member and one district office staff have tested positive for COVID-19.