WEST BATON ROUGE - Students who attend the new Brusly High School have a brand new facility to enjoy as the school year begins.

That said, not as many students will make their way to campus for in-person classes at the start of the semester.

WBRZ spoke with West Baton Rouge (WBR) Schools Superintendent Wesley Watts Tuesday, regarding the implementation of new safety and health procedures as schools cautiously reopen amid the novel coronavirus health crisis.

Watts explained that in order to put health and safety first, schools in WBR are holding a 'soft opening' for Monday (August 10) and Tuesday (August 11). 

This means only approximately half of students will return to in-person classes each day, the other half will attend school using virtual means. 

Watts said three of the most crucial aspects of the new protocol students should follow while on campus are the washing of hands, wearing of face coverings, and practice social distancing. 

He mentioned that students have been doing well at putting the new procedures into practice, but that they sometimes have difficulty social distancing.

"Social distancing is the hardest thing," Watts said. "Kids want to get together, that's why they come to school. They love being with their friends. They've done a great job. Yesterday was an amazing day for us. In the midst of all of this, our kids did an awesome job with their face masks, face coverings, washing their hands, checking out temperatures when they come in. We have new devices to do that, as they walk in the buildings. And we'll continue to get better at the social distancing."

With this optimistic outlook, Watts pointed to the effectiveness of the new temperature-check technology that's been set up and to the determination of students, staff, and teachers to work in harmony with CDC guidelines. 

He and other officials hope that by following the new protocol, those on campus will remain healthy and safe during the 2020-2021 school year. 

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