The Eau Claire Area School District plans to begin the 2021-22 school year with full-time in-person learning across all grade levels.
As it moves forward, the district will return to many of its pre-pandemic procedures. Pre- kindergarten (PK) students will attend school four days per week during regular school hours, with 3.5-hour sessions in the morning or afternoon, Monday through Thursday.
Elementary (grades K-5) and secondary (grades 6-12) students will attend five days per week during regular school hours. Teacher assignments and class schedules will be shared closer to the start of school.
Additionally, families of students in grades K-12 may choose the option of having their children
attend Eau Claire Virtual School. The deadline to sign up for this option is Tuesday, July 27. More
information is available WITH A CLICK HERE.
Current plans call for the following policies to be in place for the start of the school year:
• Masks will be optional for all students and staff within school buildings. However, this
policy would change if local, state or federal mandates begin requiring masks in school
buildings, or if there are significant increases in positivity rates in the community or at
specific schools or grade levels.
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires face coverings for all public
transportation. This applies to all occupants of school buses and district transportation for
students, who must wear a face covering for all situations in which they are boarding a
school bus or other district transportation.
• Custodians will continue to thoroughly clean all buildings after each school day. They will
conduct specialized cleanings if there are any outbreaks of illnesses in a school. Hand
sanitizer will also continue to be available in all ECASD buildings.
• After-school athletics and activities will return to their regular schedules and seasons.
More specific guidance for schools will be shared in upcoming days from the Wisconsin
Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA).
• When it comes to the length of necessary quarantines, ECASD will follow the latest
guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the Eau Claire
City-County Health Department (ECCHD). Contact tracing will be completed with the
assistance of both DHS and ECCHD.
• Vaccinated students and staff will not need to quarantine if they have been exposed to
someone with COVID-19 at school or during activities/athletics if they remain
asymptomatic. While eligible students are not required to be vaccinated to attend school,
public health officials recommend that individuals 12 and older get the vaccine.
“We are so glad to welcome students back to our schools five days per week for this new school year,” said Michael Johnson, Superintendent. “As we continue our planning for the upcoming school year, we are closely monitoring the local trends and taking the steps necessary to protect and promote the academic, physical, social and emotional well-being of our students, staff and families. We are grateful for the support of our entire community as we make this happen.”
Further communication to families will be forthcoming related to classroom setups and distancing, field trips, visitor guidelines, lunches and special education services.
