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MSD of New Durham Township board adopts reopening plan and approves personnel, handbook and tech upgrades
Summary
At its July 8 meeting the MSD of New Durham Township School Board adopted a three-tier reopening plan tied to local and state health guidance and approved personnel hires, the MS/HS handbook, an operating agreement, phone/PA upgrades and payroll documents; price amounts were not specified in the minutes.
The MSD of New Durham Township School Board on July 8 adopted a resolution to implement a Green-Yellow-Red reopening plan and approved a package of personnel appointments, handbook and operational items as it prepared for hybrid instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Superintendent Sandra Wood told the board the district plans to buy two classroom cameras to support hybrid learning so students at home and in class can participate simultaneously. Wood said she hopes the cameras’ cost can be covered by CARES Act funding and that teachers have not yet been allowed back into their classrooms pending a meeting to establish safety protocols. She also said the district has reopened the building as of July 1 but access for teachers remains limited.
Why it matters: The reopening plan sets operational thresholds the district will use during the pandemic and ties decisions to guidance from local and state health departments, affecting whether instruction is in-person, hybrid or remote.
Board members briefly discussed extracurriculars and technology needs. Mr. Eubanks reported higher-than-usual attendance during the period and said temperature checks are being performed. Wood said the district is pursuing Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) funding to purchase hot spots; she said the district was encouraged to collaborate with neighboring districts because awards are limited.
On routine business the board approved the minutes of the June 10 meeting. The board approved personnel recommendations for MS/HS summer online instructors Emily Strudas and Michelle Wilcox, varsity cross-country coach Grayce Roach and middle-school cross-country coach Lucas Daurer.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the Reopening of Schools resolution after Wood outlined the three-level (Green/Yellow/Red) framework and emphasized that level determinations would be made with public health officials. The board also approved the MS/HS 2020 Student Handbook and the AK Smith Operating Agreement; Wood noted pandemic-era concerns about the state’s guidelines but recommended offering the AK Smith courses to students.
The board accepted vendor quotes for upgrades to the public-address and phone systems, approving H & G Services for the PA system and ENA for phone services and noting that the funding would come from the district’s 2017 GO Fund. The minutes record approval of the 2020–2021 lunch prices but do not list the specific dollar amounts.
On financial business Wood said the office had experienced issues and presented two payroll documents for approval; the board accepted those payroll documents and deferred the remainder of the financial report to the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:29 p.m.; the next regular meeting is scheduled for Aug. 12, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. in the Media Center.
