Last night the Archie R-V Board of Education met in Special Session to address immediate District need regarding COVID related issues. The initial items on the Special Session Agenda were Gaiting Protocol and District notification for COVID related quarantines and positive cases.
The agenda was amended at the start of the meeting to include current masking protocol due to a significant increase in positive cases as well as quarantines due to exposure (Not Positive). Currently, the district has 6 active cases and 77 quarantines due to exposure.
The Board of Education, after much discussion coupled with community input, voted 7-0 to amend the district’s masking protocol. Beginning Friday September 10, 2021 all students, staff, and patrons in the building will be required to wear a mask. This decision was made in efforts to 1) decrease the potential spread of COVID-19 and 2) significantly reduce the number of quarantines for the district. The Board of Education and school administration would like to provide an opportunity for those interested to address the board.
The next Regular Board Meeting is on September 20, 2021 at 7 P.M. If you would like to be on the agenda to address the board, you must call Central Office at (816)293-5312 ext. 114 and request to be placed on the agenda. All requests must be received by Thursday September 16, 2021 by 4 P.M. and include talking points on a district provided form. Each presenter will be given 3 minutes to share his or her points with the board.
The board then voted 7-0 to set aside gaiting procedures as outlined in the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan (SRCSP). At the beginning of the 2021-22 school year in the development of the district’s SRCSP, efforts were focused to address the specific needs of our district. As we have progressed through these first weeks of school, we have determined that basing district decisions on a set number of quarantines is restrictive and limits the district’s ability to evaluate effectively each situation. The district will continue to monitor all COVID related absences as we determine the most appropriate mitigation and prevention strategies, including masking protocol.
Lastly, the board voted 7-0 to create one location to notify the community regarding the district’s COVID related quarantining numbers. The district, in an effort to be more informative, will have a singular site designated as the Archie COVID Dashboard where information regarding the number of positive cases for the day, the number of active positive cases overall, and the number of quarantines due to exposure (Not Positive) are accessible.
The COVID Dashboard will replace other community notifications, as it will be accessible at any time for interested parties. You may access the COVID Dashboard on the district's homepage under the “District Info” heading at http://www.archie.k12.mo.us/district.../ArchieCOVIDDashboard.
Sincerely,
Archie R-V School District
