River Ridge Board discusses possible five-day, face-to-face for high school
By Ted Pennekamp
The River Ridge School Board voted 4-2 to have no semester finals for the first semester during its regular school board meeting Wednesday evening, Dec. 9. Board member Kirk Hamann abstained because he attended the meeting remotely and couldn’t hear that particular discussion. Board members Cory Moravits and Adam Guthrie voted against the measure.
The board, administration members, staff members and an audience member also discussed at length how COVID-19 has been affecting the district and what the district might do in the near future regarding recommendations and guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the Grant County Health Department.
One big decision will be whether to have five-day-a-week, face-to-face instruction for the high school during the second semester, or if the district should continue with its blended model.
District Administrator Clay Koenig said he can list several pros and cons for face-to-face and the blended model. Koenig said he recommends that the district continue to follow County Health Department guidelines regarding the school setting, extra-curricular activities and quarantines.
Koenig said the district can offer five-day, face-to-face instruction. However, there is not enough space for adequate social distancing.
Koenig said he will send out a survey in order to get feedback from parents, staff and teachers. Koenig and High School Dean of Students Wade Winkers will plan for offering high school instruction both ways (five-day, face-to-face, and blended). The surveys and data will be collected and the school board will vote on the matter at its next regular meeting on Jan. 13. The second semester begins on Jan. 19.
It was noted that as of Dec. 9, the high school had six students who had tested positive for COVID, four middle school students and two elementary students.
Parent Lea Breuer spoke near the beginning of the school board meeting and also near the end. Breuer said she is in favor of having five-day, face-to-face instruction for the high school.
“This is about high school students who are trying to be prepared for after high school,” said Breuer in part of her presentation to the board. “It has been very difficult to learn virtually. I’m very concerned. This is about what’s best for the kids.”
The board also discussed quarantine procedures. As of the Dec. 9 meeting, there were 29 elementary students under quarantine, six middle school students and 23 high school students.
The CDC and the Grant County Health Department continue to say that a full 14-day quarantine is the safest course, but the CDC also has recent recommendations that allow people who have not developed symptoms to leave quarantine after 10 days, or even seven days if they also receive a negative test and if no symptoms were reported during daily monitoring. The test specimen may be collected and tested within 48 hours before the time of planned quarantine discontinuation but quarantine cannot be discontinued earlier than after Day 7. A pending test result on Day 7 is not sufficient to end quarantine early. Students released from quarantine after 10 days or seven days can’t participate in sports or extra-curricular activities until the 14-day period is over. Koenig said, however, they may be allowed to watch a sports practice, for example, if they are masked and more than six feet away.
At the Jan. 13 meeting, the board may also need to make a decision about how to proceed with quarantined students and staff.
In other business, River Ridge Facilities and Grounds Director Jim Wunnicke told the board that the exterior site project is now essentially complete.
