ZACHARY - Public schools in Zachary are eager to welcome students back to their campuses, and on Monday (August 17) that's exactly what they're doing.

With 55% of the community's public school students opting on taking classes in-person via a hybrid model -which means they'll spend a few days a week on campus and a few days a week learning online at home- school officials are making a concerted effort to follow CDC and state guidelines related to protecting students from COVID-19.

WBRZ's Rae'ven Jackson interviewed Zachary Schools Superintendent Scott Devillier on the first day of school to learn more about the measures Zachary schools are taking to protect students. 

Devillier explained that in addition to providing students with water bottles and extra masks officials have also implemented mandatory temperature checks as students arrive on campus, handwashing stations have been set up throughout the schools, and he also mentioned that schools have been equipped with an automatic sprayer that periodically disinfects areas within the school.

When asked if Zachary has enough staff and substitute teachers, Devillier replied, "Right now we're in a good place with staff. We have worked really hard to replace those teachers that have decided to retire or resign right before we started school. It's been a good few weeks that we were able to staff, and we're ready to go today. And just lining up those substitutes to make sure they're ready to go if needed."

According to officials, schools in Zachary are prepared for the needs of their students during the challenging 2020-2021 school year.