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School's out, planning to return in the fall
Although the COVID-19 outbreak caused the cancelation of the April meeting of the Clay Community Schools Board of Trustees, it didn’t stop the corporation’s work.
During the regular session meeting of Trustees May 14 in the boardroom of the Central Administrative Office, social distancing and masks were worn. The only time masks were removed was when a person spoke to allow the audience to hear.
Due to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s executive order at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in March, schools and all their facilities across Indiana were closed to the public until June 30. As students and teachers went home to eLearning and all spring sports activities were canceled, along with many senior activities, the administrators, staff members, and trustees focused on making sure students could continue learning and when the corporation would reopen in the fall.
Gov. Holcomb’s Executive Order 20-16 required all public schools to submit a Continuous Learning Plan to the Indiana Department Of Education. The board approved the plan, which was sent to the IDOE by the mandated deadline.
Superintendent Jeff Fritz explained eLearning was initially planned for five days before COVID-19, but there will be 25 total days during the year at the end of classes on May 20.
“If you take this and bump that up against direct instruction, there is no comparison,” said Fritz, who admitted that there would be some learning loss among students. “We are planning for that in the fall, for reentry when we come back in August. I really appreciate our school family, our community, our parents and students, our teachers, and everyone. The patience and professionalism that we’ve seen during all this are greatly appreciated.”
Fritz said there was a lot to learn from the current eLearning, which will help create a more robust program in the fall if required.
“There are a variety of different situations if needed for the fall schedule,” said Fritz. “We could have traditional reopening, which we hope for. I pray that is the case. We could have a blended model where some parents could decide to keep their kids home, and other parents decide to send their kids back. We could have eLearning to start, and throughout the 20/21 school year.”
To make sure all students are prepared for future eLearning days, the board approved two plans at Thursday’s meeting.
First, the opening of bids to purchase Chrome Books for elementary students was approved.
“This is an area we want to take the lead on,” said Fritz, with Trustee Dr. Michael Shaw agreeing, by adding, “It’s a must.”
Action on the bidding process is expected before the end of May, hoping the corporation will be able to place orders for the new technology before other school corporations in the state begin implementing the process. The administration believes this is needed to prepare for the 2020-21 school year.
The second action plan involved making sure there was a list of available internet connections throughout Clay County that families could take advantage of for free. Fritz explained a list of places, including accessing a school’s server through the parking lots and other local businesses that provide free access to Wi-Fi. Board members were grateful for the current list. Still, they urged it to be expanded and promoted within the community regularly to help families currently without internet a way for their children to do homework safely. (More details about this list will be provided in the future in The Brazil Times and online at in02200674.schoolwires.net)
Fritz said the corporation is committed as a team to be prepared and plan for what may come as a result of COVID-19. Professional development activities, curriculum design, and technology needed to help better the student’s learning experience are being considered.
The board praised the corporation’s foresight, advanced planning, and implementation to develop eLearning before it was needed.
“Mr. Fritz, we appreciate the fact you have kept the board informed on everything that is happening,” said Board President Tom Reberger, who was grateful for the efforts to keep the public informed through the corporation’s website and various media outlets. “I have had virtually no questions from the public because the typical questions we would normally have already been answered.”
Graduation plans are a big topic in the community. Fritz explained the tentative plans - “and that is the keyword here because of everything going on right now” - are for a ceremony at the Northview High School football field at 7:30 p.m., Friday, July 17 (rain dates at the same time are July 18 and 19); and on Saturday, July 18 at 2 p.m. the Clay City Jr/Sr High School Eel Dome. Plans for Cumberland Academy and G.O.A.L.S. are still being worked on, with details expected to be released soon.
COVID-19 Public Health Emergency declared by the governor allowed and encouraged school corporations to donate supplies to emergency management organizations and other institutions considered essential, and then seek reimbursement from the CARES ACT for supplies and materials. The board approved the request.
The corporation was able to take advantage of the recent facility closings to do some organization in storage facilities and house cleaning of surplus, obsolete and unwanted furniture and items to utilize space better. Director of Extended Services Jesse Trunnell and Director of Business Affairs Mark Shayotovic were granted permission to donate the surplus furniture to Food for the Poor.
In other business:
Director of Technology Bill Milner’s request to award the bid for computer hardware to replace the desktop computers at the elementary schools, as well as the Transportation and Maintenance departments to Dell, were approved.
The board approved the Central Administrative Office certified and classified employees to work on a forty-hour, four-day workweek beginning Monday, June 1, and continuing through Friday, July 17, 2020. The office would be open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closed on Fridays during summer.
The board approved the application for the Title I federal grant program that provides for instruction and services for elementary and pre-school students at East Side, and Forest Park during the 2020-2021 school year.
The next regular session of the Clay Community School Board of Trustees will be in the Central Administration Office, 1013 S. Forest Ave., Brazil, on Thursday, June. 11, at 7 p.m.