Although plans change quickly during the coronavirus pandemic — and it’s possible South Butler County School District’s back-to-school plan for the fall could adapt yet again — it’s good to see that students will return to five days a week in the classroom.

Of course, there are rules and regulations that must be followed to ensure safety, but students being back among classmates and teachers — and not communicating via a computer screen — will bring back a sense of normalcy.

For the most part, South Butler’s latest plan — discussed at last week’s meeting — takes the proper precautions.

Naturally, the plan could get thrown out the window if the number of cases spikes between now and the beginning of the school year. In the past week, there has been a national and statewide increase.

In the meantime, we’re glad to see the district enforcing common-sense measures, such as requiring students and staff to wear masks — with an exception for students with specific conditions.

Another element of the plan is that teachers — rather than students — would change classrooms for subjects such as music or art. This cuts down on the number of students interacting in different places and, theoretically, on the ability for germs to spread.

However, there are a few issues mentioned at last week’s meeting that the district might want to reconsider.

The current plan doesn’t include taking students’ temperatures when they board the bus or at the door when they enter school. It’s not a bad idea to do one or the other, or both.

Secondly, the board was asked about plans if a student or teacher tested positive. As of now, neither a classroom nor the building would be emptied in the case of a positive result.

Currently, the plan would be for the student or teacher to get tested, report back whether they’d tested negative and then the district would determine a course of action.

While we don’t doubt the district would do its due diligence by deep-cleaning any classroom in which a student or teacher who tested positive had spent time, the district should consider not using that classroom for the time period that COVID-19 is known to remain on surfaces.

When it comes to the safety of children, no stone should be left unturned. While the district’s overall plan for the fall sounds good, there are some elements that could use fine-tuning.

— NCD