A lot can happen between now and the start of the 2020-2021 school year, but county school officials are already preparing for how best to keep families safe when students return to school this fall.

Elayne Perkins, lead nurse for Limestone County Schools, met with school principals Wednesday to discuss some of the changes likely to be in place this fall. She told The News Courier it’s possible the plan will shift as the district receives new guidelines from the Alabama State Department of Education.

“We’ve got great plans, but we’re waiting on the final say-so,” Perkins said. “We’re starting prior to the start of the school year, before we get any students in there, to get some education not just for faculty and staff but for parents and students.”

That will include having age-appropriate educational videos on hand-washing, covering one’s mouth when they cough or sneeze and how to wear a mask if needed. Perkins said posters will also be made available for classrooms and school hallways, and the district will share health tips on social media and its website.

She said the goal is repetitive teaching, or repeating the importance of good hygiene so regularly that it becomes a part of the student’s usual routine instead of something they have to actively remind themselves to do.

Parents will also be encouraged to keep their child home from school if the student has had a fever within the last 72 hours, has been exposed to someone who is positive for COVID-19 or is showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19. If a child has a pre-existing condition, Perkins strongly advised they speak with their child’s primary care physician about returning to school.

“The health of our students is the top priority,” Perkins said.

Other changes that could be seen include limiting visitors at a school, portable hand sanitizer stations and even hand-washing stations.

“I’m going through the floor plans of every school and the setup of every bathroom,” she said. “If we do have hand-washing stations, do they need to be portable? Is it going to make more kids group up because they’re waiting?”

Masks are also being discussed, though Perkins said right now, there is no plan in place to make them mandatory for students. She said nothing is set in stone until the school system receives its final guidelines from the state later this month.

Once they do receive it, though, officials are ready to work.

“They’re ready to just sit down and plan it,” Perkins said of the school principals she met with Wednesday. “They know as well as I do, parents are wanting answers about their students coming back to school. … It’s just going to take a little more time.”