Warren County School District is putting a strong emphasis on information.
At Monday night’s special meeting of the school board, Superintendent Amy Stewart spoke about steps the administration is taking to make sure parents are aware of the guidelines and options, and making sure district officials will be ready for whatever the parents decide to do.
The board has passed a reopening plan. But, the rules change frequently and the board members know they may be called on to update the plan.
As of Monday, some familiar distancing rules apply. Some don’t.
A board member asked about the limit on indoor gatherings of more than 25 people.
“It depends on when you ask,” Stewart said.
At the moment, “That does not apply to schools in that fashion,” she said. “There are specific rules for schools.”
Masks – which were not an absolute requirement when the plan was passed – are a must.
Secretary of Health “Dr. (Rachel) Levine is saying that masks are required for having school,” Stewart said. “This seems to be our ticket to being able to have schools open… as of today.”
That was a frequent topic at focus group meetings held last week, she said. “Masks are the biggest topic of conversation.”
“The focus groups were very well attended,” Stewart said. “We answered a ton of questions.”
Attendance and transportation surveys sent out to district families are coming back.
Stewart said about 1,300 surveys had been returned, with 12 percent choosing online services through the district’s Virtual Academy, 12 percent choosing a blended online and in-person system, and the remainder opting for physically returning to school.
The transportation survey results shifted recently. Stewart said early survey returns indicated about 50 percent of families would utilize district transportation and 50 percent would not. On Monday, the percentage had shifted to 56 percent expecting to use district transportation.
Stewart has been utilizing various methods to inform the community about the proposed changes.
“The more information that we put out there, the better,” she said.
The board approved some changes to the district’s facilities that are required to satisfy COVID-19 guidelines.
Director of Buildings and Grounds Services Dr. Norbert Kennerknecht informed the board of some options for making the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems circulate air as required.
The air has to move through at a certain rate, but the systems must be limited to prevent cold weather or humidity to become a problem inside the buildings.
“We want to have these people come in and make the adjustments, then we have to balance each system,” Kennerknecht said.
The board chose from among open-ended agreements with contractors and chose Rabe Environmental Systems to handle the balancing while Scobell Company will perform the recalibrating. Neither contract will exceed $20,000.
