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Linton, principals speak to plan for Cloverdale schools
CLOVERDALE -- With anticipation and anxiety together fresh as the beginning of the new school year draws nearer, Cloverdale Schools now has its own framework for coming back.
Superintendent Greg Linton and the school corporation’s principals spoke to a comprehensive, but tentative, back-to-school plan during the Cloverdale School Board’s regular meeting Monday evening.
Linton first spoke about how the plan was developed with input from board members, administrators, teachers, custodians, food service and nurses. After going through different drafts, the plan was approved by the Putnam County Health Department on July 7.
Linton emphasized that it was a “tough balancing act” with students taking advantage of any leniency with attendance. However, he stressed that students and staff who may be sick had to stay home.
Bus drivers will be wearing masks, and students will be assigned bus seats at their discretion. Buses will also be disinfected after each route. However, students will be encouraged to wear masks due to the confined space.
Linton handed the presentation over to Principal Mary Jane Elkins, who had an optimistic attitude on how Cloverdale Elementary School would come back. She said the biggest change was students going directly to classrooms with grab-and-go breakfasts after arrival.
Lunches will be separated into different periods, while each will be physically distanced. Recess will follow the same scheme. As to the classroom, Elkins said the circumstances with shedding community supplies and putting in desks will allow for more direct instruction.
Elkins also provided that it was important to gauge students’ performance with beginning-of-year testing. The idea, she said, was to slow down and see where they are, given that they have been out of school since March.
The crucial point in all of this, Elkins said, was that teachers and staff are ready to see students at school. To do so safely and encouragingly, she said it was necessary to “communicate, communicate and communicate some more” with parents.
Principal Dawn Tucker gave a rundown of how the day will look at Cloverdale Middle School. While she said that procedures are still in progress at this point, she said the schedule will remain largely the same.
Students arriving to school will go to the cafeteria if only eating breakfast or otherwise go to the gym. Dismissal to class will be staggered, though it has not be determined how. Lunch will not present an issue with distancing, but dismissal will also be staggered.
Masks will be strongly encouraged when physical distancing is not possible; and classrooms, except for the art room, will have desks instead of tables. No guest speakers or field trips will be allowed at this time.
Principal Sonny Stoltz said his situation at Cloverdale High School is a different scenario. He added that it did not help that CHS was originally built as an elementary school.
He said staff will be in the building prior to the earliest that students can arrive, which is 7:45 p.m. They will either go one way to the cafeteria or to the gym, and stay in place until the first class.
Students and staff will be expected to move clockwise around the building so as not to pass each other. However, Stoltz said greater consideration would be taken with tardies, absences and attendance, especially the latter with a COVID-related illness.
During lunches, students will sit with one of their peers from their fourth-period class. Stoltz said this was part of tracing potential COVID-19 cases should a student become ill. As to masks, he said they had to be “bought in” by students. Linton said earlier that staff had to set an example.
With dismissal at CHS being the biggest concern, Stoltz said the idea was to do it by “entities.” This means dismissing a few minutes apart by drivers, bus riders, pick-ups and then athletes and club members.
Athletic Director J.J. Wade briefly stated that athletics is consisting of three phases. The first, set to end after this week, prohibits using locker rooms and spotters, and spraying equipment during exercises. The phases lead up to Aug. 15, when spectators may be able to be inside the buildings.
Athletes and coaches also have to quarantine for 14 days after traveling to a COVID-19 hot spot, as determined by the corporation nurse. Linton said this, and the athletic plan in general, would be reassessed when school starts.
Assistant Principal Brent Sailor also spoke specifically about a plan for using personal protection equipment (PPE) and sanitizing materials that will be used.
The plan states that more than 5,000 masks have been acquired. A 55-gallon barrel of Oxivir hospital-grade cleaner, which has a 72-hour residue, will also be used across the corporation. This will fill over 50 bottles, and can just be sprayed and left alone.
Sneeze guards will be custom-made for offices, the cafeteria line and the concession stands, and will be non-stationary. Touchless water fountains will also be installed to allow students and staff to fill water bottles. He again touched on using desks instead of tables in classrooms for physical distancing.
Ultimately, Linton expressed that the plan tries to cover as many bases as possible. However, he acknowledged that it may have to be improved as administrators respond to different situations.
With all of this in mind, and thankful for the input from Linton, the administrators and staff who had a hand in it, the board approved the re-entry plan as presented.
A PDF of the plan has been made available on the Cloverdale Schools main website.
In other business:
• The board approved four separate resolutions having to do with a corporation lease and bonds.
The first approved having a hearing to discuss a “potential” building project. The second was to approve an existing building corporation that has subject under prior construction projects. The third approved Linton as the compliance officer for amended and restated post-issuance procedures. The fourth approved permission for the school board to reimburse the school corporation itself on bond issuances.
These resolutions are likely related to facility renovations which the board considered in July 2018. It was stated then that they would address temperature control and electrical systems, including ventilation, carpeting and general heating and air conditioning.
The board also approved the following personnel report:
• Resignation: Mandy Corbin - bus driver; Gary Porter - bus driver; Renee Porter - bus driver; Wes Porter - bus driver; Jamie Porter - bus driver; Kaitlyn Kiste - CES instructional assistant; and Susie Fidler - assistant girls’ varsity coach;
• Retirement: Dave Walton - seventh-grade science teacher;
• Employment: Alexis Schussler - CHS mathematics teacher; Donald Gibson - bus driver; Madison McDonald - seventh-grade science teacher; Paige Glassburn - assistant girls’ varsity coach; and Sean Branigan - CMS assistant football coach.
The board also approved an employment agreement with Jeff Underwood, whose resignation as Cloverdale Schools’ director of physical operations took effect in April. Underwood will be contracted to handle the corporation’s HVAC systems and continue to oversee more technical issues.
Board members Arvel Hinton, JaceAnn Troutt and Donna Fidler were absent from the meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale School Board is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 10 at 7 p.m.