Board Approves Health and Safety Plan
On Monday, August 2, the school board and school superintendent convened a special meeting to discuss the health and safety plan for this coming school year. Because so many people attended the meeting, it was moved from its usual location in the middle school library to the middle school auditorium.
Health and Safety Plan
Superintendent Dr. Wagner Marseille began by acknowledging the “passions” of people on both sides of the issues before the board, and noted that he has no allegiance to any particular group. He presented a proposed health and safety plan, along with a slide adorned by the school’s mission statement, and said he wished to support policies that are true to the ideals articulated in that statement.
Watch the August 2 meeting
He then described the current health situation in Delaware County, including the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases in our area, and said that, in light of this trend, WSSD students will be required to follow CDC guidelines and implement mitigation strategies to the greatest extent possible: masks must be worn by anyone under the age of 12 or unvaccinated when indoors; masks must be worn by everyone on school transportation; everyone will be required to stay three feet apart whenever possible (which will not hinder a return to full in-person schooling); and regular handwashing will be encouraged. Hand sanitizer stations and disinfectant wipes will be available for use. Parents and guardians will be required to fill out a health screening questionnaire similar to last year’s before entering school buildings or participating in school-based programs. Those who are ill will be asked to stay home. Appropriate adjustments to these protocols will be made for those who have a disability with a medical diagnosis.
Under this plan, the district has reiterated its support for vaccination, and will continue to provide information on vaccines and where to get them.
Emergency Instructional Plan
The curriculum director, Dr. Denise Citarelli Jones, presented the board with an instruction plan to be used “in the event of an emergency that prevents a school entity from providing for the attendance of all pupils or for holding classes at the usual hours at the school entity.” Under the proposed plan, in an emergency, the district would enable all students to take classes on Zoom five days a week for the normal number of school hours. High school students would have their regular load of four 80-minute classes. Middle schoolers would be on Zoom for each of their 44-minute classes. Elementary schoolers would have 60 minutes of language arts and math, 30 minutes of science and social Studies, two 30-minute intervention sessions, and two 25- minute classes in a special subject on a daily rotation. Each student in the district will have access to technology and programs (Seesaw for grades K-2 and Google Classroom for grades 3-12) that would allow for virtual schooling if necessary.
Public Comment
After these presentations, the public was invited to comment. Many people lined up. The first speaker went over the time of three minutes allocated for each speaker and was told to stop by the school’s legal counsel. She continued to speak, even after her microphone was turned off, and the board took a recess. Public comment continued after the recess. Opinions varied from those who wished for more masking universally to those who did not want masking even for younger, unvaccinated children.
Board Discussion and Voting
The board, first, unanimously voted to approve a resolution under Section 520.1 that declares the Covid-19 pandemic an official emergency for the school district.
Discussion occurred when the board moved to vote on the proposed health and safety Plan. Newly re-seated board member Wendy Voet moved that the plan be amended to include a threshold number of Covid-19 cases that would trigger universal masking in the district. This amendment passed by a vote of six to one with one abstention.
Board member Kelly Watchman, moved to amend the plan to include masking of all students in sixth grade and below. This amendment was approved by a vote of six to two. The language in the plan was also amended to base requirements on the grade a student is in as opposed to their ages, to be consistent with the language requiring masking of sixth graders and below. This amendment passed.
Jennifer Lentz commented on the proposed emergency instructional plan, saying that online schooling was not a suitable substitute for in-person schooling, but she voted to approve the plan, which was unanimously approved.
Note: the entire meeting, including public comments, is available to view on the Wallingford-Swarthmore School District’s YouTube channel.
