Board of Education
The return of students in the traditional model to five days of in-person learning has not had much of an impact on the number of students or staff testing positive for COVID-19, said Vestavia Hills City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman.
Freeman, speaking to the Vestavia Hills Board of Education at the Oct. 26 meeting, gave an update on the system’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring students have a successful academic year. Students returned to five days of in-person learning for students in the traditional [in-person] model on Oct. 14. Students in the traditional model had previously attended on alternating days.
Freeman showed the Board some of the numbers the system is keeping track of, including the daily percentage of positive cases and the daily percentage of those quarantined due to being in close contact with someone who has tested positive.
The numbers show while there was a slight increase in the number of positive cases since returning to five days of in-person learning, those numbers are now trending downward. On Oct. 8, there were four positive cases, compared to 12 positive cases on both Oct. 19 and Oct. 21. But that slight increase began decreasing in late October, with six cases reported Oct. 26.
The highest number of positive cases for students in a day this year, through Oct. 26, was 25 cases on Sept. 9, which represents 0.44% of the student population. The highest “close contact quarantine” percentage was 3.23% on Sept. 4, when 183 students were in quarantine due to close contact.
Overall, the system has had 94 students test positive, as reported by their guardian through Oct. 26, and 499 students have quarantined due to close contact at school, Freeman said. For staff, there have been 26 positive tests since Aug. 20, and there have been 85 instances of staff quarantining because of close contact or relatives testing positive.
Freeman said the school system is dependent on parents and guardians to let them know about positive tests, as they only know what they are told.
Board President Lisa Baker said students and staff must remain vigilant in the fight against the virus.
“We can’t ease up,” Baker said. “Now is not the time to ease up.”
Freeman said he plans on improving communication between the school system and parents, and said the system recently conducted a survey of parents and students and are working on making improvements, especially to the remote learning model.
Secondary principals, including Pizitz Middle School Principal Chris Pennington, Liberty Park Middle School Principal Roger Dobnikar and Vestavia Hills High School Principal Tonya Rozell spoke about the challenges at their schools.
“Every day is different,” Pennington said. “Once you’ve found something you know works … it’s hard to make changes, not just once, but often.”
Dobnikar said it is important to make sure teachers’ voices are heard, as well as focusing on what is best for students.
Rozell said teachers are trying to deal with the challenges presented by the pandemic, as well as navigating a tense political and social climate.
“My door is always open,” Rozell said.
In other business, the Board:
- Approved several policies, including updating language defining sexual harassment, procedures for making Title IX inquiries and updating the name of the accrediting agency. The changes in the former two policies is in keeping with changes in those regulations made at the federal level.
- Tabled an update to language in the school’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy.
- Introduced updates to the school’s policy to not aid or abet those who have sexually harassed or assaulted others find new jobs, in keeping with the ongoing work to stay updated with federal regulations.
- Approved a roughly $32,000 change order to field restoration at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge to pay for additional rock removal and for additional stone for a new storm pipe.
- Appointed Scott Brown and Jaclyn Hudson as the delegate and alternate delegate for the Alabama Association of School Board Convention.
- Approved the math textbook committee.
