During a Monday evening Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) Board of Education work session, Director of Curriculum Nikki Nash discussed a 68-page plan for reopening Three Rivers schools amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our hope is by Friday to have some kind of infographic one-pager that is a quick snapshot of what the fall will look like as far as options, as far as what our facilities may look like,” Nash said.
One option involves a full opening of schools. That option would take place under the state’s Phase Six restriction level. “We have a hybrid option, which is the blended learning, which has the students on a modified schedule, because it’s not a five-day setting,” Nash said. “We have a remote (option) that (we would use) if we were in Phase One, Two, or Three. There is a virtual option for families that are not comfortable with face-to-face contact. The hybrid option would involve dividing classes into two sections, each receiving two days of live classroom time and three days online per week.”
Nash said the one-page document will include information addressing concerns about face mask usage, desk spacing, screening, temperature assessment, hand washing and cleaning procedures, students who have symptoms, and other safety measures. Additional measures would be in place at Level Four, including staggered entry and no family member entry into buildings, limits on the number of students in hallways at any given time, in-classroom meals, and rules regarding transportation.
Families will be notified of any positive cases, and Nash said, “we will work closely with the Health Department if we get a positive case on what we should do.” TRCS Superintendent Ron Moag may also produce an informational video. Moag said more details will be available next week. “We’re going to take into account the required parameters we are given, the strongly recommended, and the recommended,” Moag said.
Facilities Plan Reviewed
TRCS Facilities Director Brian Leonard presented architects’ sketches of planned improvements to TRCS facilities, including building interiors and exteriors, parking facilities, and grounds.
Design work has prioritized safety, secure building entry, capacity, traffic patterns, and other concerns. GMB Architects and Engineers has worked with schools’ personnel over the past two years to identify changes and develop concepts and designs.
“We’ve done some very intensive onsite assessment of mechanical operations and functionality in conjunction with the facility assessment work that was done a little over a year and a half, two years ago. We’re starting to bring that to a finalization and integrate it in with all of the other work,” Leonard said.
“We pretty much just completed the schematic design,” Leonard said. The next step will be to hand the design off to a construction management company for cost analysis. “This is where we get down to brass tacks and really go OK, based on (various factors) this is probably what it’s going to cost.”
Moag thanked the design team for their work.
Other TRCS Business:
•The graduation scheduled for July 9 has been cancelled, and Three Rivers High School (TRHS) principal Carrie Balk has sent out a survey to determine how many students would be interested in an August ceremony.
•The board approved four teachers who have opted into a buyout plan designed to mitigate declining enrollment and revenue losses. The deadline was June 29.
•Board members voted to hire Joseph Graber as a science teacher at TRHS. Balk provided a detailed description of the interview process and Graber’s qualifications, including his certification to teach science. Graber has been working at TRHS as a long-term substitute teacher.
•With updates to the format, grammar, and wording, the board voted to adopt 2020-2021 Student Handbooks for the grade schools and TRHS. The middle school handbook requires further revision before it can be approved.
•The board approved food suppliers on Monday. A bread bid went to Ed’s Breads of Portage, and a milk bid went to Prairie Farms, an Illinois company with an office in Battle Creek. Bids are by the unit. Bread bids included 11 cents for hot dog and hamburger buns and $0.07 for sandwich bread. Milk bids included 23 cents for flavored and 1 percent plain milk, 24 cents for skim milk, and 14 cents for fruit juice. Total cost estimates come separately from the foodservice department.
•At Monday’s work session, the board approved a list of appointments and contracts for various positions and services. This included naming several banks as authorized depositories for school funds, as well as several banks for investments. The board approved attorney retainer contracts to Thrun Law Firm, P.C., and appointed Plante Moran as the district’s 2019-20 fiscal year auditors.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
