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Masking will be optional at South Putnam
Administrators and staff at South Putnam will be coming back to school without a general mask requirement. However, being flexible is still the concern going forward.
With it being “a work in progress for quite a while,” new superintendent Corey Smith spoke to a plan for returning to school during the South Putnam School Board’s regular meeting Wednesday evening.
On the whole, masks will be optional for students, staff and visitors throughout the school corporation, with them certainly not being required outdoors. However, both vaccinated and unvaccinated students will be required to wear them on buses per a federal mandate.
The policy stresses that bullying because of a student’s vaccination status or mask wearing will not be tolerated. In the same vein, the school corporation cannot require proof of vaccination aside from it being given voluntarily.
In school, students will have assigned seating in the cafeteria, buses and classrooms and face forward when they can. Physical education will be held outside when possible and outdoor learning will be allowed. With extracurriculars and other similar events, distancing will still be encouraged.
The policy provides that COVID-19-positive students will be quarantined following guidance from the Putnam County Health Department. Meanwhile, letters would be sent to parents should a student have been in close contact with someone who is positive.
“Obviously, this is a moving target and is always subject to change at a moment’s notice,” Smith said. As such, he stipulated that South Putnam would revert back to its 2020-21 plan should “things go bad again.”
Board member Lisa Cooper asked whether vaccinated students would have to be sent home when contact tracing takes place. Smith responded that proof of vaccination could be submitted so they would not have to quarantine.
Board Secretary Wes Hacker commented that there had to be “common sense” with quarantining students who have been in proximity to a positive case. Smith provided that contact tracing would be case by case.
With this, the board approved the back-to-school plan as it was presented.
In other business:
• The board approved to advertise notices for public hearings related to bond issuances for planned improvements throughout the corporation.
• The board approved a service agreement with Administrator Assistance for it to assist with the school corporation’s budgeting for 2022. Hacker added that this help would ensure the budget is done correctly while the board and Smith become more acquainted with the process.
• The board approved a memorandum of understanding to give $1,000 stipends to certified staff. The board also approved a resolution for stipends paid to classified staff and administrators for $500 and $1,000, respectively.
Smith said these would be paid out of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER II) funding from the state, and that staff have to show proof of extra effort being put in last school year.
• The board approved the amended interlocal agreement between Putnam County’s and Eminence’s school districts and Area 30. Explaining that the new model is based on average daily membership (ADM), Smith provided that there would be an overall savings despite the per-student cost being higher.
Despite his approval, Hacker voiced that there needed to be a “hard discussion” about those costs, in that the school corporation still has to work within a budget. He posed that the cost to send students to Area 30 was higher than the funding South Putnam receives.
• The board approved a four-year maintenance agreement with Peine Engineering for improvements to HVAC systems throughout the school corporation. The cost will be paid through ESSER III funds.
• The board approved a policy allowing for Transportation Director Brad Ogborn and Maintenance Director Jared Hutcheson to take their work vehicles home.
The board also approved the following personnel report:
• Resignations: Erin Baker - Central Elementary instructional assistant; and Brandy Fielding - middle/high school food service;
• Termination: Joann Snapp - Central Elementary food service;
• New hires: Sydney Edwards - fifth-grade teacher; Rachal Pate - Central Elementary office assistant; and Jackie Robinson - Central Elementary instructional assistant; Michelle Bruce - Fillmore Elementary food service cashier; John Skomp - high school assistant principal; Ross Clark - middle/high school English teacher; Tosca Corranza - middle/high school art teacher; Kathy Sykes - middle/high school special education teacher; Zach Errett, middle/high school science teacher; Cassidy Troyer - middle/high school instructional assistant; Lori Boyce - concession ECA; Ellen Cash - volleyball coach; Hilarie Logan - JV volleyball coach; Savannah Clark - varsity cross country coach; Levi Yowell - volunteer volleyball coach; Dan Snellenberger - bus driver; and Evie Ogborn - corporation office secretary.
Though Joseph Roach participated virtually, the entire board joined Smith and Executive Assistant Terri Beasley for Wednesday’s meeting.
The next regular meeting of the South Putnam School Board is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. in the South Putnam MS/HS Learning Center.