In the past, small class sizes were seen as beneficial because they resulted in higher student achievement, lower dropout rates, and less discipline referrals.
That still applies today, with the added benefit of students and teachers being in a space where proper social distancing is actually feasible.
“We are limiting class size in our elementary program to 12 students,” Boyd Christian School principal Donna Newby said Thursday. “Our middle school classes will have 10 students per room because those classrooms are just a little smaller, and our high school classrooms will be limited to 15 students.”
Boyd isn’t mandating masks by students or teachers, but masks will be available to anyone who chooses to wear one. Newby doesn’t expect a mask mandate to become necessary in the upcoming year.
“At this time we have no plan to require masks because we feel like we can keep our students separated thanks to our small numbers,” said Newby. “Right now, we’re not even looking at mandating masks.”
Last year, Boyd had a total of 130 students, grades preK-12. This year it’s a little more difficult to know exactly how many students to expect.
“The numbers keep changing because of the current situation,” Newby said. “One day it looks like the number of students goes down a bit because of people choosing to homeschool and then the next we get several inquiries from parents whose children have always been in public school but now they’re considering Boyd. Right now we just don’t know how many students we’ll have this year.”
All faculty members, staff, and students will undergo temperature checks each morning before entering the school.
“We’ll be adhering to CDC guidelines, so anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or above will not be allowed to enter the school,” Newby said.
Students will be allowed to eat in the cafeteria at lunch but the times will be staggered and the groups will remain separated.
“We also have outside tables students can use when the weather permits so we’re going to encourage the use of those. We plan to have classes outside as much as possible too,” Newby added.
Boyd’s first day of school will be Wednesday, Aug. 12 and principal Newby is ready to get the school year underway.
“I feel really good about the new year,” Newby said. “We’re definitely at an advantage because of our small numbers.”
F.C. Boyd Christian School is still accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year.
“We are absolutely still accepting new students,” said Newby. “It works out best for everyone if the student is registered and ready to go by Aug. 12, but we try to accept new students throughout August.”
