Since Arcadia High School (AHS) re-opened on Apr. 19, there have been new Arcadia Unified School District (AUSD) guidelines for health and sports. It has been hard for the district to make sure that the guidelines are well suited for the environment and students and staff going on campus. 

“It is very easy for us to shift to bringing students back to school as far as scheduling goes; the real challenge is how we do this safely,” said AHS Principal Angela Dillman. 

Students and staff are expected to complete a daily mandatory health screening form and temperature check before entering the high school, and each classroom has a hand sanitizing station.

For sports, livestreaming events is an option, and the district is making sure young athletes will be safe during those events. Another health guideline that the district has recently put in place is having athletes to sign PE waivers relating to COVID-19 and heart problems. There has been data showing a relationship between COVID-19 and myocarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart wall. 

As of Dec. 9, 2020, at least 1.5 million children in the U.S. have tested positive for COVID-19, and a small percentage of these children have been affected by the multisystem inflammatory syndrome. These children are being followed by the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ (CHLA) myocarditis algorithm.

Between Apr. 8 to 15, there were about 88,500 new pediatric COVID-19 cases; since the start of the pandemic, around 3.63 million children have tested positive. At least 297 children have passed away due to COVID-19 and around 15,000 children have been hospitalized.

As a result, L.A. County has recommended that children who have been affected by COVID-19 in the last six months receive medical clearance before participating in physical activity. 

In addition to these changes, there have been major technology upgrades—from new computers to new and better cables—in over 400 AUSD classrooms. Teachers will also have the option to install barriers and dividers for the students and themselves.

Principal Dillman has repeatedly said that student safety will be and remains AHS’ top priority. It is important that the teachers know where students are and where they are supposed to be during the school day.

“There have definitely been more meetings. I know some teachers are a little bit more stressed than others, and the school administration has been doing really well about trying to communicate all of the information as much as possible,” said Mr. Peter Vo, AP Biology and AP Environmental Science teacher at AHS. 

Overall, the new health guidelines and equipment that the district has implemented will ensure that the students are safe whether they are in the classroom or practicing their sport.

Graphic courtesy of EVERYDAYHEALTH.COM