The Park Hill Board of Education reinstated the district’s masking mandate at a special meeting late last week.
The meeting was scheduled due to fast rising case counts and after the Kansas City Council established a mask mandate for all K-12 schools through at least Feb. 3. The ordinance took effect Monday, Jan. 10. Public comment for the special meeting was accepted only in written form, with board president Janice Bolin announcing at the Friday, Jan. 7 meeting that more than 350 comments were received and provided to the board.
The new mandate will last through the month, with the board scheduled to meet again on Thursday, Jan. 27 to discuss a possible renewal.
Tammy Saylor, district director of health services, presented a chart of positive COVID-19 test results by week. Just prior to Christmas break, the district received reports of 42 new cases among students and staff. Directly after the break, 118 positive cases were self reported by staff or parents. As of the Friday meeting, more than 350 positive tests were reported. By Monday, that number had jumped to 436 cases.
The shortage of antigen fast testing is also a concern, as the state-wide stockpile has dwindled and the district’s testing site was forced to close.
“We’re seeing a lot of sick kiddos in our schools,” Saylor said, reporting health rooms have been busy with children complaining of mild cold symptoms, prompting testing. About half have tested positive.
Dr. Bill Redinger, assistant superintendent, reported similar trends in staffing. Other factors are also influencing staffing shortages, such as non-COVID illness and longer leaves for staff taking maternity and other medical leaves of absence. Substitute teachers are also in short supply and counselors, support staff members and office workers have been forced to fill in on occasion.
Superintendent Dr. Jeanette Cowherd said the district doesn’t have an option to close down for two weeks as it did last year when positivity rates rose. The state has removed the option for all districts in Missouri.
Board member Scott Monsees questioned if staff should wear N95 or KN95 filtering masks instead of cloth masks. Saylor said the district is looking into options to acquire those.
Monsees said the Platte County Health Department should make the decision on masking instead of the school district.
Bolin and Cowherd said they understood that due to the legal challenge filed in Cole County, which has gone to federal court, the Platte County Health Department no longer offers direction to the school districts about masking.
There was an exchange between Monsees and several board members regarding the effectiveness of masks and differences of opinion on the seriousness of the Omicron variant. While the variant may not cause severe illness as often as previous versions, Bolin noted recent pleas from Kansas City area health authorities urging people to wear masks.
Board member Todd Fane supported Bolin’s concern, as he had a personal experience with a family member who recently had a heart attack and had difficulty finding treatment due to hospitals overwhelmed by COVID-related problems.