The students and staff of NHS were recently informed they will have the option to return back to school amid the pandemic with a revised schedule to accommodate the yellow status.

“Due to a continuing high absence rate and an effort to improve social distancing at our secondary level, students attending school in person in grades 6-12 will attend in a hybrid format beginning Tuesday, Nov. 3 until Tuesday, Nov. 24.” Superintendent, Dr. Mary Pfeiffer confirmed in an email sent out to district families on Oct. 29.

Senior Afton Congdon chose to return for the hybrid schedule, so she can hold on to what’s left of her senior year. “It is much easier for me to learn and be engaged in a real classroom. I also like getting instant help if I need it from my teachers,” Congdon said. 

 The New York Times reports that the number of cases in Wisconsin has increased by 41 percent in the past two weeks and in the past seven days the Winnebago County is finding an average of 220 positive cases a day. 

Although this may seem concerning, the Board of Education is constantly checking stats like these from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), medical practitioners and advisers, and local agencies and professionals. 

The district is well aware of how extreme the virus is and wants to take everything day by day to ensure everyone stays safe.

“When making our decisions, we review student COVID-related absence information, staff COVID-related absence information, and our community data,” Dr. Pfeiffer said. “If we cannot get the community burden level down, it will be challenging to keep our schools open for in-person learning. Ultimately, that is our ambition, but we need everyone in our community to do their part and take this seriously. Right now, that is not happening.”

Many students, families and staff are unsure and curious about what the future holds for N.J.S.D. Dr. Pfeiffer and the board anticipate that the second semester will be similar to the first semester and hope that the district status can remain yellow or even better – green as grass.