Masks optional for 2021-22 school year

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As of late July, masks will be optional in Vestavia Hills City Schools during the 2021-22 school year.

While both Superintendent Todd Freeman and Board of Education President Steve Bendall stressed that plans are flexible, masks will not be required for students or staff, but those who desire or need to wear one will be respected and valued, Freeman said.

“These people are making decisions for not only for your children, but for their children as well,” Bendall said. “Everybody takes it very, very seriously.”

Freeman noted that out of 1,800 students participating in summer activities, there has been just one confirmed positive case of COVID-19, and one student quarantined due to close contact.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on July 27 that all persons in public K-12 schools wear a mask, the plan announced at the July 26 meeting was still in place, said the school’s director of public relations, Whit McGhee.

Two parents spoke to the Board of Education at the meeting and urged them to take more steps to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak. One parent of elementary students said, since there is no remote option for that student population, masks should be required for them to keep them safe, while another expressed concern about the rising number of cases due to the Delta variant of COVID-19.

Freeman said the school system does have an enhanced plan they can switch to if need be, as they did last year, and said the school system will continue to encourage parents, students and staff to check themselves daily for symptoms of the virus, along with basic health tips such as covering your mouth when you cough and sneeze and frequent hand-washing.

The school system will not be performing contact tracing this year, as that, and any subsequent necessary quarantines, will be handled by the Alabama Department of Public Health. While the school system cannot compel parents to share information about any positive cases, they are required, once they learn of a positive case, to report it to the ADPH, Freeman said.

In other news, the board approved the hiring of the system’s new athletic director, Myra Miles, who previously served as Hoover City School’s athletic director from 2007 to 2014, and recently worked as the executive assistant to former University of Tennessee head football coach Jeremy Pruitt.

Freeman called Miles a “fine person,” and expressed excitement about her tenure in a news release sent after the meeting.

“Coach Miles is regarded as one of the most outstanding athletic directors in Alabama,” Freeman said. “She is well-respected by her peers and brings a wealth of successful experiences to Vestavia Hills. Coach Miles will lead an athletic program with a storied tradition and one that is poised for greatness in the future. We are very excited that she will be a part of our team.”

Miles said in the release she felt an “immediate connection” to Vestavia Hills and spoke about the strength of the school system’s athletic program.

“Vestavia Hills has a rich tradition that comes from many years of excellence, but with that tradition comes a responsibility to take our program to the next level,” Miles said.

“We can’t settle; we want to be the best,” she said.

Miles said her early focus will include a review of the school system’s athletic strategic plan, which was developed by a group of community stakeholders over the past year and identified long-term goals for the growth of Vestavia Hills athletics. She added that she looked forward to galvanizing community support for all of the school system’s athletic programs. 

“I want families to be all in with us and be invested in our ‘1REBEL’ mindset, from kindergarten all the way through high school,” she said.

Miles’ hiring follows the departure of Vestavia Hills alum and former athletic director Jeff Segars, who left in June to become assistant director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

In other business, the board:

  • Heard an update on the strategic plan from Freeman, who said this year, there is a special emphasis on computer science, with classes being offered in middle school and a pilot STEM class being offered at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park. Professional development in computer science is being offered to elementary school teachers, he said.
  • Approved revisions to a board policy about the retention of students, making it clearer for students and parents, along with updates to the parent-student handbook on the same policy.
  • Approved the student incident report that is sent to the state, which reports disciplinary issues that require the replacement of a student whether through suspension or expulsion.
  • Approved student fees for the 2021-22 school year.