Vol. 49, No. 10, August 2020
Serving the Greater Stuttgart Military Community
www.stuttgartcitizen.com
DOD to remove more than 11,000 troops from Germany Photo by Rey Ramon, TSC Stuttgart A paratrooper assigned to Special Operations Command Europe lands on the Malmsheim drop zone after jumping from a C-130 during an airborne operation in Stuttgart, July 17. To read more about DOD, turn to page 5.
Students prepare for new normal at school By Rebecca Castellano U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart Due to COVID-19, the upcoming school year will look a little different for U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart families. The Department of Defense Education Activity is offering parents and students a choice between returning to campus or attending online classes. Creating a COVID-free environment for all students to learn in has been the mission at every level of DoDEA leadership since May, said Steven Sanchez, DoDEA Europe East Superintendent. “This is all we are focused on,” Sanchez said. “Our preparation for how sanitized our schools will be, for the procedures and protocols that we need in place, the types of instruction we can offer, we’ve been working on this and will continue to work on it. Because we realize that it will change as the world situation changes too.” DoDEA schools will follow CDC and DOD COVID-19 recommendations to mitigate risks to students and staff on campus. Face masks will be required when six feet of distance cannot be observed. Stuttgart Elementary School Principal Sonja Rodriguez said her staff is working to remove nonessential furniture to create spaces where children can remove masks throughout the day. She is also working with
the transportation office to clear out bus parking lanes and create extra space to hold outdoor activities and recess. “To the greatest extent practical, our students will attend recess,” Rodriguez said. “That means in the snow, too. So, we are asking parents to make sure their kids have appropriate winter attire because the kids love to go out and play in winter too.” Rodriguez said she feels confident that her staff and parents will unite to help students understand why these changes are happening. “We don’t want to scare the children or make everything seem like a bad thing so it's important that the parents and our teachers work together to make this a positive experience,” said Rodriguez. Stuttgart High School Principal Rick Renninger is also considering ways to hold some classes outside when possible and open the auditorium for extra seating during the three lunch sessions the high school will have. Students will follow a one-direction flow when transiting between classes and will wear masks when physical distancing cannot be observed. “If I was doing this job anywhere else, my biggest concern would be that students weren’t going to follow the rule. But, I have never been able to trust a community as much as I’ve trusted these students,” Renninger said. “I truly do believe that
Photo by Geoffrey Morris, Stuttgart Citizen volunteer Incoming freshmen ask questions during their orientation tour of Stuttgart High School, Aug. 3, at Panzer Kaserne.
everyone is going to follow the guidelines that we’ve established because they know that we all have to do it to keep everyone safe.” Parents can see exactly how schools will mitigate risks at each Health Protective Condition Level by visiting DoDEA.edu/ returntoschool. Sanchez encourages every parent to read the “Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Return to School” guide at the website above to make an informed decision when registering their children. Whichever option parents chose they can
be confident their child will receive the same quality education DoDEA prides itself on. “We’ve had a very successful virtual high school for over a decade now and we will be expanding that success to take on all our virtual classes,” Sanchez said. “We are purchasing a curriculum that is already aligned to our standard. It is high-quality and it is going to be interesting and engaging for kids.” See BACK TO SCHOOL, page 13