 |
|
|
Aug 18th, 2021 - 15:16:24 |
Like many school districts, Bleckley County is having to deal with a rise in COVID-19 cases and quarantines due to the delta variant. At Tuesday night’s monthly meeting, the Board of Education discussed the matter and came up with a plan they hoped would keep students in school.
Discussion began with superintendent Dr. Steve Smith going over numbers. He noted that on day one, there were 29 students who’d tested positive, The number was at 30 as of Tuesday. But the number of quarantines had gone up from 68 on day one to 107 on August 13 to 151 on Tuesday.
Smith also went over an employee survey, noting 65.7 percent of 299 employees were in favor of returning to a mask mandate if it meant cutting down the number of quarantines. He mentioned a policy adopted by the Walton County School District.
That policy allowed for students who had been quarantined and were asymptomatic to return to school if they wore a mask. After much discussion, on a recommendation from Smith, the policy was adopted for both students and staff with the following conditions. 1. The student or staff member must not have had a recent positive test. 2. There must be no positive tests within the same household.
In a release issued Wednesday announcing the policy, Smith made it clear that anyone in isolation due to COVID must complete it before returning. He also said another reason for the policy was because of seeing students who were supposed to be home in quarantine out and about around town.
The vote on the new policy was 4-0 (Chair Mike Sasser was out of town.) The board agreed to meet in two weeks (either in person or via phone conference), to discuss the numbers and make adjustments if needed. If there is a “dramatic” increase in the number of cases, Smith said they agreed to discuss a system-wide mask mandate.
Also concerning COVID, Smith went over an employee survey regarding vaccinations. He noted 53.8 percent of respondents had at received at least one shot. In the same release announcing the new policy, Smith said he believed the vaccine was the best defense against COVID but noted it was a personal decision hopefully made between the person and their doctor.
 |
| Dr. Andrea Williams with Lesley Brown and Samantha Williams/. |
In other happenings, there were several special recognitions. Teachers Lesley Brown and Samantha Williams were recognized by Dr. Andrea Williams from Heart of Georgia RESA for completing Teacher-Leader training offered by Heart of Georgia RESA, the Governor’s School Leadership Academy, and the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement.
 |
| Smith with Nutrition Director Kelli Green and school nutrition staff. |
Kelli Green and the school nutrition staff were recognized for ensuring students were fed during the pandemic by No Kid Hungry Georgia. Bleckley Primary and BCHS were recognized for being named Title 1 Distinguished Schools.
In a brief update regarding the new primary school and athletic renovations, Smith said both were going well. He said they expected the stadium to be ready for the first home game (as previously mentioned, the parking lot work will not be finished.)
Approved was a $77,000 Sexual Risk Avoidance Grant. It funds an abstinence program taught by Laura Knox. A Memorandum of Understanding between with the Bleckley County Sheriff’s Office was approved. It states the district will pay half the salaries of three school resource officers and the full salary of one SRO in quarterly payments of $31,156.59 for a total annual cost of $124,626.38.
Also approved was the School Nutrition Procurement Plan and vendor list as recommended by Nutrition Director Kelli Green. You can see the plan by going to
https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/Meetings/Attachment.aspx?S=4014&AID=1297438&MID=94413
From the executive session: Alex Garnto was added as a BCMS assistant basketball coach along with volunteers for other sports. The board also voted to move the start time of future meetings to 6:30 pm.
© Copyright
by BleckleyProgess.com
Top of Page
|
|
|
|
|
