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NATCHEZ — Natchez Adams School District officials announced a tentative plan for schools to reopen Aug. 10 with a hybrid schedule made up of both virtual and face-to-face classes.

Tony Fields, the Public Relations Coordinator for Natchez-Adams School District, said district officials have utilized guidance from the Mississippi Department of Education and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations to develop their reopening plans.

In a video outlining the hybrid schedule, Fields said students would be divided into A and B sections where A section students attend classes at school on Mondays and Wednesdays and B section students attend classes at school on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Fridays being set aside for interventional instruction for select students identified by teachers.

Fields said some 11th and 12th-grade students will be able to attend fully virtual classes that would further limit the number of students on campus.

“These measures will limit the number of students in the classroom at one time to approximately 13 students per section,” Fields said.

A blueprint of the scheduled school days states that students should arrive at school no sooner than 30 minutes before the time their classes are scheduled to start and vacate the campus within 30 minutes after being dismissed.

Elementary schools are scheduled to start at 7:45 a.m. and end at 2:45 p.m.; middle schools are schools are scheduled to start at 8:15 a.m. and end at 3:15 p.m.; and Ombudsman, Freshman Academy, Natchez High School and Natchez Early College Academy are scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m.

“The District is committed to transparency with our parents and community as we continue to refine our reopening plans,” district officials said in a news release on Wednesday. “We are working diligently with MDE guidance, joint meetings with parents, staff, community members, medical personnel, and utilizing the data that we have to make plans to open schools in the best possible way. We want to ensure that students are afforded quality instruction in the safest environment possible.

Please view our 3-minute video as it outlines the “Hybrid A/B Schedule” approved by The NASD Board of Trustees for the upcoming school year. Alternate plans for students with chronic medical conditions will be made available. We will continue to update our parents, students, and community as plan continues to be refined over the next several weeks.”

Additional information can be found at www.natchezschools.org by clicking on the COVID-19 Back to School Blueprint tab.

Questions about the Natchez Adams School District’s reopening schedule can be e-mailed to nasdcares@natchezschools.org.