With the start of the 2021-22 school year approaching, school administrators are preparing their incoming students to enter into the safest learning environment possible.

All three school districts, including Poplarville School District, Picayune School District and Pearl River County School District will begin classes under the traditional classroom model on Aug. 5.

All three districts ask parents to monitor the health of their children before sending them to school. If they have a fever of 100 degrees or more, they should stay home. All staff at all districts are also asked to monitor their own health.

Every Picayune School District student must attend class unless they have an excused absence.

Two districts are requiring masks for students and visitors while one states the use of masks is recommended.

At the Picayune School District, visitors are required to wear masks and will not be allowed to proceed any further on campus than the front office area. Students attending Picayune School District classes and the teachers will also be required to bring and wear masks. Any mask worn by a student or staff member must not contain inappropriate images or wording.

Poplarville School District is also requiring students and staff to wear masks while indoors or on the bus.

Mask use by students and staff at Pearl River County schools is recommended.

Classrooms will be arranged so students will be spread out as much as possible regarding social distancing guidelines in the Picayune School District. All schools in all three districts will include hand-washing stations and hand sanitizers at every entrance of their buildings.

Poplarville will provide a medical homebound option for students with severe medical conditions. Picayune asks that all students who are able to attend classes in person to do so.

Pearl River County School District will offer a remote learning program to those who need it, but an application process is involved.

Classrooms and playgrounds are off limits to anyone other than school personnel. Students are not required to wear a mask during outside activities at all three districts.

All three districts will move to remote learning if necessary in the occurrence of an outbreak.

Each district will have full time nurses who will monitor the health of students and teachers.

All three districts state in their reopening plans that these requirements can be changed at any time dependent on federal or state mandates or decisions made by their respective board of trustees.