ROCHELLE – While the safety protocol and requirements are generally the same for all buildings in Rochelle Consolidated School District 231, Rochelle Middle School will have certain procedures that apply just to its building to ensure help ensure things run smooth and safely when reopening.

In order to help the flow of students and maintain proper distancing throughout the day, Rochelle Middle School has made changes to its regular school day schedule. The first students to arrive to school are students who will be receiving breakfast and they will arrive between 8 to 8:20 a.m.

Students that are dropped off by parents or guardians will enter through their own door that leads into the cafeteria and students who are dropped off by the bus will enter through a separate door and go to the cafeteria. Then, between 8 to 8:25 a.m. all other students will arrive to school and those being dropped off, arriving by bus and then those biking or walking will enter through their own sets of doors.

All students entering the building will also go through a screening process and once passed, go straight to their classroom through a designated hallway and stairs. Masks will be required as well as maintaining proper social distancing on their way to class. 

Class schedule

All students will have an eight-period schedule, alternating days of the week. Each day, students will attend four classes and will attend the four other classes on the next day. Then on Friday, students will attend all eight classes with shortened periods. 

“Essentially, half of our in-person students will have odd hour classes on Monday and half will have even hour classes on Monday, then it will rotate throughout the week,” Rochelle Middle School Principal Jordan Young wrote in an email sent out to parents. 

All students will remain in their first-hour classroom throughout the entire day and teachers will switch rooms to come to them. The school developed this model to allow to keep the safety of students and staff in the forefront and allow students to attend school all five days of the week. 

All students will be finished with school by 12:43 p.m. and will be let out in different groups to help maintain proper social distance. Students either walking or biking home will be dismissed at 12:30 p.m. followed by students getting rides, who will be dismissed at 12:35 p.m. 

The last group of students to leave the building are those riding the bus, who will be let out at 12:43. The school knows this entire situation has and can change at any moment and thankful for the support from the parents. 

“Allow me to thank you for your patience and understanding as we plan for the start of school,” Young wrote. “As always, as we plan for this unique return to school we may need to amend or change some things to make it work better and we will communicate any of those changes with you.”