At a special meeting Thursday evening, the Three Rivers Community Schools (TRCS) Board of Education (BOE) began the two-meeting process by which its members will conduct an annual evaluation for Superintendent Ron Moag. Evaluation-related activities took place in closed session, and no action was taken pertaining to the evaluation. Rather, the purpose of the first meeting was for Moag to present a portfolio of his work and accomplishments.

The meeting took place at the TRCS Administration Building and was streamed on YouTube. Rod Green of the Michigan Association of School Boards facilitated Thursday’s conversation. Second special meeting will take place on November 19 to follow up on the review and evaluation, at which time the BOE will present and discuss evaluation results and conclude the process.

Pay Increase Vote Retaken

At the regular BOE meeting this past Monday evening, a vote was conducted to approve a pay increase for various employees. Approved was a series of Letters of Agreement with the Three Rivers Education Association, the Service Employees International Union, and various principals, administrators, and non-union employees to provide retroactive pay increases for the 2020-2021 contract year. Normal, periodic pay increases had been on hold awaiting the development of financial impacts from the ongoing pandemic.

However, at the start of Thursday’s special meeting, BOE President Erin Nowak said Monday’s vote on the pay issue had been taken erroneously, since three board members have spouses or family who are employed by TRCS. They would thus be impacted by the vote, and their participation in the vote presented potential conflicts of interest.

To correct the error, Nowak asked to have the issue added as an action item to the agenda after public comments but before Moag’s evaluation began. The vote was retaken, and the measure was approved with Julia Awe, Linda Baker, and Anne Riopel abstaining.

COVID Cases Reported at Two TRCS Buildings

During the public comment period at Thursday’s special meeting, Nowak read aloud one comment submitted by Sheila Childers. Childers said, “if it takes days to get COVID test results back, how can you really feel it is safe to send anyone to school when you know there has been a positive result?” Childers said, “more people come in and out of the schools each day,” and asked what it would take for schools to close.

It was not clear if Childers’ comment pertained to any specific event, but late Thursday afternoon, TRCS announced in a Facebook post that there were positive COVID-19 cases reported at Hoppin Elementary School and at Three Rivers Middle School. Both cases were associated with staff members, and TRHS said it has posted public notice about the cases on its COVID-19 Dashboard. The latest two cases are among 13 cumulative cases identified in TRCS facilities to date.

Both schools remain open, and TRCS said it is “working closesly with the Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency (BHSJ) to identify close contacts” of the persons who tested positive” according to BHSJ contact tracing protocols. Anyone TRCS and BHSJ identifies as a close contact will be notified of the potential for having been exposed to the virus. The names of the persons who tested positive are being withheld in accordance with medical privacy laws.

In its Facebook post, TRCS said it is working with BHSJ to take all necessary measures “to protect the wellbeing of your child(ren). These safety measures include daily health checks, required facial coverings and social distancing, frequent handwashing,” as well as sanitizing common touch areas, disinfecting personal workspaces, and daily cleaning and disinfecting of facilities.

TRCS encouraged parents, students, and staff to monitor for possible COVID-19 symptoms, which can include “cough, shortness of breath, a fever over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, chills, repeated shaking and chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.” TRCS said parents who detect any of these symptoms or any other changes in their child’s health should “call your regular medical provider.”

Dave Vago is a 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.