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BELLEFONTE -- The Bellefonte Area School District unveiled its Health and Safety Plan during Tuesday night's school board meeting.
There were few surprises in the plan, which could be revised through July 29. The initial effective date for the plan will be Aug. 1, 2021. The presentation was made by BASD's pandemic coordinator, Karen Krisch.
She said that the district is working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Health as it prepares for the 2021-22 school year.
"We have lots of coordination with the Department of Health and PDE … we met with the Department of Health last week, in person," Krisch said. "We had a meeting with them and expressed some of our concerns about the guidelines, guidance from last year -- what worked and what didn't work. I thought they were very receptive about what we were saying."
According to the current Health and Safety plan, BASD "will employ a layered prevention and mitigation strategy for the 2021-22 school year to operate in-person schooling in a safe and continuous manner."
Currently, 89 percent of staff who responded to a June 2021 survey indicated they are vaccinated. Based on calculations using information from on-site clinics and the school staff clinic held by the community, BASD officials believe that "75 percent of our entire staff is currently vaccinated."
The current plan states that the district will operate normally "unless data related to the COVID-19 pandemic indicate a need to phase in or add an additional layer of protection for staff and students." BASD administrators will review data weekly to determine the need for additional mitigation measures.
Superintendent Tammie Burnaford said that Department of Health officials praised the district for being able to keep its schools open for the majority of the 2020-21 school year.
"She said repeatedly that 'Bellefonte doesn't fit into a cookie-cutter mold.' That was the word she used. Because we don't. We were in school last year. These things that come down aren't necessarily the same as some other school districts," Burnaford said.
The Health and Safety Plan states that layered and phased prevention strategies and mitigation efforts will be based on levels of community, district, building and classroom transmission, which will be reviewed weekly by district administration.
The layers of mitigation measures could include: Masks/face coverings, physical distancing, increased handwashing, hand sanitizing, respiratory etiquette, cohorting students, minimizing exposure from those outside the school organization, deeper cleaning, sanitizing, ventilation efforts, contract tracing, isolation, quarantining of affected individuals in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Health and temporary remote learning options.
The plan also states that "wearing face coverings will always be optional for district staff and students." However, parents should notify their child's teacher should they desire their child to wear a face covering. The district will maintain a supply to be distributed "as needed." Additionally, teaching staff may continue to use physical distancing and desk shields in classrooms as they "deem necessary to maintain the health and safety of students."
A small group of anti-masking parents spoke during public comment period and said that they would like to see all masking and social distancing eliminated in the district. There was no direct response to their comments, as per board policy.
In other business Tuesday night, board member Kimberly Weaver spoke about 2005 Bellefonte Area High School graduate Rachelle Edmiston, who died in a tragic car accident last week. Edmiston, 34, a Native American, was very outspoken during the mascot controversy. She believed that Bellefonte should have remained the Red Raiders.
"She stood for her beliefs. She had respect of the community. She was a genuine person. A lot of people cared about her … she was a beacon," Weaver said. "People stood behind her … I would like to recognize her and give condolences to her family."
Weaver then said, "I stand with Rachelle," a popular battle cry of those who tried to keep the Red Raider nickname.
A memorial service for Edmiston was held last night in Bellefonte.
The school board only holds one meeting per month while school is not in session. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 10. The meetings are being held in person, but are also available online through the district's website. Those wishing to speak virtually must pre-register.