SAUNDERS

MARQUETTE — Marquette Area Public Schools is preparing for the start of the 2020-21 school year, which begins on Sept. 8, with many things uncertain during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MAPS Board of Education met on Monday, with the meeting broadcast via its YouTube channel, as has been the case recently.

MAPS Superintendent Bill Saunders talked numbers at the meeting, specifically full-time equivalent students and how they plan to attend class.

With about 3,230 full-time equivalent, or FTE, students in the district, about 2,800 student surveys were returned, he said. As of Monday, the surveys indicated the following results:

≤ Graveraet Elementary School: 178 face-to-face instruction students, 65 virtual and 17 hybrid;

≤ Superior Hills Elementary School, 218 face-to-face students, 67 virtual and 19 hybrid;

≤ Sandy Knoll Elementary School, 205 face-to-face students, 89 virtual and 31 hybrid;

≤ Cherry Creek Elementary School, 238 face-to-face students, 85 virtual and 33 hybrid;

≤ Bothwell Middle School, 452 face-to-face students, 137 virtual and 68 hybrid;

≤ Marquette Alternative High School, 29 face-to-face students, 11 virtual and five hybrid; and

≤ Marquette Senior High School, 527 face-to-face students, 158 virtual and 171 hybrid.

“Now that we have the sheets at the building level, we’re going to start making phone calls for who we have on the rosters that didn’t respond to this,” Saunders said.

He also noted about 30% fewer students had planned to use school transportation for the year.

Saunders addressed the various tiers of plans MAPS has developed. The current tier includes face-to-face instruction, which is allowed to occur within phases four and five of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Schools Return to School Roadmap.

If the virus is detectable in the school system through either a student or staff member, MAPS will follow particular tier guidelines and coordinate with the Marquette County Health Department for assistance with contact tracing and general guidelines, he said. Students and staff will be notified of the positive COVID-19 case.

Other protocols include testing of students and staff where appropriate, with face-to-face instruction to continue unless conditions for moving to a more restrictive tier are met. Saunders said moving to another tier involves risk mitigation, movement to online learning and suspended activities.

This could occur under phase four or five of the governor’s plans, Saunders said.

“Upticking community spread constrains our local health system, so obviously we’d be looking for those recommendations from the health department, health system,” Saunders said.

Factors MAPS would consider, he said, include COVID-19 being measured every 30 days with school board review, as well as positive identifiable transmission of illness within the determined area, classroom/building district transportation, extracurricular activities, an immediate surge in illnesses and a recommendation or increase in closures from executive orders or other regional institutions, such as Northern Michigan University.

District actions would involve moving to online instruction for 14 days or longer and suspension of transportation or activities for 14 days or longer, per the district’s tier guidelines.

Should the district have to move to online learning, only essential personnel would be allowed on campuses, Saunders said.

He stressed that school districts, under a state mandate, will be required to review their plans monthly at board meetings, including items such as attendance, assessment data for all types of learners and the two-way communication necessary for daily attendance with virtual students.

“Every month the board will get an update on where those students stand,” said Saunders, who pointed out that the district’s plans will be reviewed to meet those students’ needs and offer services to keep them learning at the same rate as face-to-face students.

Trustee Keith Glendon wants those reviews to include a “consistent set of data” regarding the regional status of COVID-19, including NMU and Marquette County.

“I would like to see, on these 30-day increments we’re reviewing, the actual community spread trend,” Glendon said.

Saunders also updated the board regarding the school district’s COVID-related purchases.

To date, MAPS has purchased, along with wipes and cleaning solution, 40,000 disposable face masks, with 500 N95 masks donated. The district received a donation of 3,500 cloth masks from the United Way of Marquette County and purchased 400 masks with clear windows and eye shields for teachers.

Other purchases included 200 face shields, 115 thermometers, 109 gallons of sanitizer and 108 32-ounce bottles of sanitizer, in addition to what was already in stock.

Also purchased were electrostatic sprayers, which Saunders said would be used for comprehensive evening cleaning, with the hand-held varieties used to clean buses.

A total of 1,000 disposable gowns for the “sick rooms” were bought, as were 200 computer-cleaning kits, with one for every classroom. Other purchases were 25 boxes of batteries to ensure the thermometers continue to work and 250 boxes of disposable non-latex gloves.

A total of 270 masks and bell covers for fine arts programs were purchased as well.

“There is a way for band and those programs to continue,” Saunders said. “They have special masks now for music players. They have covers to prevent any spread throughout the ends of the instruments, so innovation and technology is quickly catching up with what these needs are.”

The next board of education meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sept. 21.

Christie Mastric can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her email address is cbleck@miningjournal.net