LIKE
LIKE DEPRESSION DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. ERIC AND STELLA OK.
CHRIS, THANK YOU.
NOW POWLEY PARENTS MAY NEED TO
PREPARE FOR MORE VIRTUAL
LEARNING AS THE DISTRICT
ANNOUNCED A PLAN TO SUSPEND
IN-PERSON LEARNING ESSENTIALLY
EXTENDING THE WINTER BREAK BY
ANOTHER TWO WEEKS.
ALL STUDENTS WOULD BE DOING
VIRTUAL LEARNING DURING THAT
TIME.
SO POWER UNIFIED SUPERINTENDENT
DR. MARY ANNE KIM PHELPS JOINS
US THIS MORNING TO DISCUSS
THIS.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
GOOD MORNING.
I KNOW IT IS A LATE NIGHT FOR
YOU SO THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
WE KNOW THE BOARD IS GOING TO
DECIDE THIS AT TOMORROW'S
MEETING.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT WAS BEHIND
THIS DECISION?
AND SOME OF OUR VIEWERS WANT TO
KNOW IF THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO
WITH THE RISE IN CASES BECAUSE
THE STAFF OR TEACHERS WEREN'T
FOLLOWING SAFETY PROTOCOLS.
THANKSGIVING BREAK.
WHAT'S YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> WELL, WE ARE DASHAWN ON OUR
WEB SITE AND YOU CAN SEE THAT
JUST TWO WEEKS AGO WE WERE AT
THIRTY FIVE CASES IN JUST TWO
WEEKS INTO DECEMBER WE'RE
ALREADY AT 40 TOO.
SO THERE'S DEFINITELY A RISE IN
CASES BUT AFTER FOLLOWING THE
THANKSGIVING BREAK BUT IT'S NOT
NECESSARY.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY SCHOOL
OUTBREAKS FROM STUDENTS.
THE PROBLEM THAT WE'RE SEEING
IS THE RISE IN CASES IN STAFF.
AND SO FOLLOWING THE
THANKSGIVING BREAK, FOR
EXAMPLE, WE HAD ONE SCHOOL
WHERE OFFICE STAFF MEMBER WAS
IN CONTACT OVER THANKSGIVING
WITH ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER WHO
SOON AFTER FOUND OUT THAT THEY
WERE POSITIVE BECAUSE THEY WERE
IN CLOSE CONTACT.
THE COUNTY REQUIRES NOW A
MANDATORY 10 TO 14 DAYS OF
QUARANTINING.
AND SO WHAT THAT DID WAS
IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING
THANKSGIVING TOOK OUT THE WHOLE
OFFICE STAFF HAD TO QUARANTINE.
THANKFULLY NONE OF TESTED
POSITIVE.
BUT THEY'RE STILL REQUIRED TO
QUARANTINE AT THAT TIME THAT I
BELIEVE THEIR MANDATORY WAS 14
DAYS AND SO THAT TAKES US
ALMOST RIGHT UP TO WINTER
BREAK.
AND SO WE HAD TO DO SOME
SHIFTING AROUND OF STAFF.
WE ALSO BECAUSE OF THAT SAME
QUARANTINING WITH TEACHERS, WE
HAD TO HAVE PRINCIPALS STEP IN
AND SERVE AS TEACHERS AND
TRANSFER OFFICE STAFF FROM
OTHER SCHOOLS TO SUB INTO
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS THAT WERE
OPEN FROM OUR SECONDARY SCHOOLS
.
SO OUR FEAR IS THAT AFTER THE
LONG WINTER BREAK, THE LONGER
WINTER BREAK THAT THERE MAY BE
MORE GATHERINGS, MORE TRAVEL
BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THE WINTER
BREAK HAS MORE TENDENCY TO
BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER, THAT
OUR FEAR IS THAT OUR SYSTEM
CAN'T TAKE ANOTHER SEARCH LIKE
THAT.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, OTHER
DISTRICTS SURROUNDING US HAVE
HAD TO CLOSE AND SHUT DOWN AND
SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO AVOID
THAT IS THE GOAL OF HOW UNIFIED
IS TRYING TO OPEN ALL OF OUR
SCHOOLS FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS
BEGINNING JANUARY 19.
SO ANOTHER ONE OF OUR VIEWERS,
NEWS VIEWER SCOTT WANTS TO KNOW
WHAT CRITERIA WILL BE USED TO
DECIDE WHETHER SCHOOLS WILL
REOPEN ON JANUARY 19TH IS
COUNTY SPREAD OR ITS IMPACT ON
DISTRICT STAFF.
>> AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, HOW
WILL YOU BE ABLE TO GET THAT
DATA IF THE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN
GONE FOR FOUR WEEKS?
>> WELL, THEY'RE NOT GONE FOR
FOUR WEEKS.
SO JUST TO BE CLEAR IS NOT
EXTENDING THE WINTER BREAK.
THE WINTER BREAK STILL ENDS ON
JANUARY 3RD.
OUR STUDENTS ARE STILL TO
RETURN BACK.
AND STUDENTS AND STAFF ARE DUE
RETURNING BACK JANUARY 4TH.
IT'S JUST WE WILL BE FULLY
RITUAL FOR TWO WEEKS JANUARY
4TH THROUGH THE 15TH AND THAT'S
ONLY TO HELP US TO RESET.
AS YOU CAN CALL KIND OF OUR OWN
QUARANTINING PERIOD SO THAT
FOLLOWING WINTER BREAK
HOPEFULLY PEOPLE ARE BACK BACK
TO WORK, BACK TO SCHOOL.
AND IT GIVES TIME THAT IF
ANYONE IS ILL WITH THEM IT'S
TWO WEEKS AWAY.
THEY GET ILL WHILE THEY'RE AT
HOME.
AND SO WHEN THEY COME BACK TO
SCHOOL THEY DON'T SPREAD ANY
ILLNESSES TO OUR STAFF OR OUR
STUDENTS.
>> ALLISON WANTS TO KNOW HOW
WELL THE TWO WEEKS OF DISTANCE
LEARNING IN JANUARY DISCOURAGE
FAMILIES FROM EXTENDING THEIR
HOLIDAY TRAVEL PLANNING
ADDITIONAL TRAVEL UP TO THE
IN-PERSON LEARNING RETURNEE.
I MEAN WHAT IS WHAT IS THE
MESSAGE FOR THE FAMILIES DURING
THE WINTER BREAK IN ORDER TO
AVOID FUTURE CLOSURES THE REST
OF THE SCHOOL YEAR?
>> WELL, WE OBVIOUSLY CAN'T
ENFORCE THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH
OUR FAMILIES.
BUT WHAT WE CAN DO IS ASK THAT
IN YOUR PARTNERSHIP THAT PLEASE
OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO GET OUR
KIDS INTO SCHOOLS THAT WE ASK
THAT YOU PLEASE HELP DO YOUR
PART TO HELP SLOW THE SPREAD OF
THE DISEASE AND ILLNESSES SO
THAT OUR KIDS AND OUR STAFF CAN
RETURN BACK TO OUR SCHOOLS.
>> ONE MORE QUESTION BEFORE WE
WRAP UP ALL THIS PACKED SPECIAL
EDUCATION SERVICES WILL THEY
STILL BE VIRTUAL TO AS OF RIGHT
NOW?
>> THEY ARE.
WE'RE WORKING WITH OUR SPECIAL
ED TEAM TO FIND OUT EXACTLY
WHERE THEY ARE WITH THAT.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY NEWS THAT
SPECIAL ED RIGHT NOW BUT OUR
DEPARTMENT WE WILL GET
INFORMATION OUT SOON.
SUPERINTENDENT, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR YOUR TIME.
>> WE KNOW YOU AND YOUR STAFF
ARE DOING THE BEST