[ad_1]
Last week, members of the Libby Public School Board discussed ways to improve awareness among families after hearing from at least one parent frustrated with how the district handled a recent outbreak in elementary school.
Kristin Smith, mother and city councilor for Libby, told council members that the lack of communication and action by school officials left her concerned about the welfare of her child.
“It’s a leadership failure,” she said during the public comment portion of a September 13 meeting. “You are playing with the lives of our children, children who are not eligible for vaccination. “
During the recent spike in primary school coronavirus cases – which left at least 21 students and staff with positive test results – Smith said she had received no communication from officials of the school. In mid-August, Smith said he emailed the board and received no response.
She also found that the Libby Public Schools website was lacking in information.
“I asked three times what the school plan was and I was completely stuck,” she said.
Smith pointed to neighboring Idaho, where hospitals were rationing care, as a possible result of lax coronavirus policies. At the time of the meeting, 22 Lincoln County patients were hospitalized with the virus.
“It seems the plan is to wait until Libby’s first child dies. I don’t want to be dramatic, but it’s happening all over the country, ”she said.
Smith’s concerns echoed comments made by elementary school teacher Wendy Chopyak the week before. Chopyak told council members teachers were concerned that the district’s plan was “implausible” before this fall.
Smith asked school board members to remember that the effects of their decisions extend beyond the walls of the classroom. As a co-owner of Cabinet Mountain Brewery, Smith said she and other local business owners are facing the fallout from an outbreak originating in schools.
“Children who are sick, who are quarantined, their parents have to find care or stay at home,” she said. “I am facing closures. Public health is economic health. Who will cut your hair if it is sick or hospitalized? Who is going to sell your groceries, fix your car, clean your teeth, chop your wood? ”
Administrators noted later in the meeting that staff changes had affected how the district was able to respond to the outbreak at the elementary school. Jeanine Kidwell, who recently arrived on board as the primary school principal, said she did not have access to the district’s general call system and was unable to contact parents in mass when the virus started to spread around the school.
Ruth Vanworth-Rogers, principal of Libby Middle High School, said the district’s website contains a link to information on coronaviruses. The attached guidelines for reopening schools, however, had been outdated for a year, she said.
While some board members said they did not receive emails from Smith, Superintendent Ron Goodman confirmed that she did send him one.
Goodman suggested emailing parents informing them of the outbreak in elementary school and letting them know that the district would now strongly recommend masks.
Administrators could produce a video informing families about district policies. He suggested forming a group of school officials to clarify how the board was tackling the pandemic.
Jim Germany, deputy principal of Libby Middle High School, said the district always follows the advice of Lincoln County public health officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It’s the same message coming from us as from them,” he said. “It is their documentation that we use.
Normally, public health officials are available to help schools trace contacts, but a recent increase in coronavirus cases across the county has left them bogged down. Goodman said administrators were in the process of hiring a nurse who could help the district deal with the virus.
“I think there is also an increased awareness now, as young children are now getting sick, just like we have heard tonight,” said Bgee Zimmerman, board member. “I think any information we can get out about what we’re doing… we’re not just sitting here twiddling our thumbs. Were not.”
School officials noted that state officials’ councils had limited what the district could do before the school year.
An emergency rule passed by Governor Greg Gianforte urged school board members to consider parental rights when making decisions about mask requirements. The August 31 rule states that some responses to the pandemic, including mask warrants, have “imposed additional burdens on citizens, including on their health and well-being.” Ironically, this rule has made it difficult for the board to adopt a more proactive coronavirus plan than some parents like Smith would have preferred.
[ad_2]
Source link