Sentinel file photo
Students arrive for the first day of last school year at Mifflin County High School in Lewistown.

LEWISTOWN — With the scheduled beginning of the school year less than one month away and the Mifflin County School District revealing at its school board meeting last week the intention to allow students to return to the buildings four out of every five days during the school week, parents are now left to figure out how to safely transport their children to and from school each day.

The district’s transportation department sent a letter to parents of MCSD students on Monday via the Skylert messaging system, outlining the steps the district plans to take to maximize student safety while on buses and other district transportation.

“Meeting social distancing guidelines is going to be a difficult task on a school bus/van,” the letter reads. “The reality is the space on a school vehicle is small, and the vehicles and drivers available are limited. Students will need to pass each other as there is only one entrance and one exit as well as sit with each other as drivers and vehicles are limited.

“There have been suggested guidelines of modifying school vehicles as far as plexiglass, shower curtains and hand sanitizer dispensers to further protect from COVID exposure. Penn Dot[sic] and the PA State Police have confirmed that these modifications are NOT permitted.”

Students will be required to wear face masks and students are expected to wear their masks properly while on the bus and to avoid touching others or others’ property.

The district said drivers will be required to take their own temperatures before transporting students and are instructed to not drive if ill, wear face masks or face shields while in the vehicle, provide a face mask to any student who forgets his or hers, open windows and vents when possible to promote air circulation and ventilation and institute assigned seating to assist with social distancing and contact tracing.

MCSD said all vehicles will be disinfected after each run each day (both morning and afternoon) and the number of students in each vehicle will be minimized as much as possible.

The district also said parents and guardians will be responsible for determining if their children are healthy enough to attend school “so as to not jeopardize their own health or the health of others.”

Parents will be required to check their child’s temperature each morning before boarding district transportation and to keep their children home from school if ill or showing symptoms of illness.

Parents who do not wish for their child to use district transportation are asked to notify the child’s school as soon as possible so the district may account for that in its bus scheduling. High school students who are issued a parking permit for the 2020-21 school year will be removed from the bus roster, as it is assumed those students will drive themselves to and from school.

MCSD also stated if a child’s transportation needs changed during the school year, parents are to contact the district to make appropriate updates.

MCSD is still working on developing bus routes and said the goal is to have the Stopfinder app available within the next two weeks. The first day of school for MCSD students is scheduled to be Aug. 26.

“This is an unprecedented, trying time for everyone involved where we all need to work together and be courteous of others to keep everyone as safe as possible,” the letter reads. “Thank you in advance for your cooperation and patience.”