HSE Schools shared some data on how many students are under COVID quarantine each day since the start of schools. At Wednesday night’s board meeting, Superintendent Yvonne Stokes says since the mask mandate was implemented on August 16th in HSE Schools, the number of quarantined students is beginning to trend downward.
The school district reached a peak of roughly 1,100 students quarantined on August 19, but the numbers began to go down each day after that. As of 3pm on August 25th, 636 students were under quarantine.
A student is quarantined for a positive test, being symptomatic or having a close contact with someone testing positive.
Dr. Stokes said the aim of the mask mandate is to keep students in the classrooms. She says her conversations with students show the students want to remain in the classrooms.
“We’re doing this to support keeping our students in class,” Dr. Stokes said at the school board meeting. “Keeping the main thing the main thing…teaching and learning.”
In other items before the HSE School Board:
–An updated school policy will call for four board members to be in-person at a meeting to establish a quorum. State law now allows 3 in-person and 1 virtual board member to have a quorum, but board members were concerned about about losing a virtual connection during the board meeting, which would end the meeting due to a lack of a quorum.
–The board will need to redistrict school building lines once Deer Creek Elementary is up and running, and Cooperative Strategies, a firm that has supported past redistricting plans for HSE Schools in the past, has offered to be the consultant again. This was information only and more firms may wish to submit proposals. There was one public comment from a woman frustrated with her children being impacted by 3 elementary school redistricting plans over 9 years. She also criticized the board for a lack of transparency by not being specific with the description of the agenda item.
–The board was updated on changes in the fees charged for students using the J Everett Light Career Center in Washington Township, near North Central High School. Some fees increased, others went down.
–The board honored two swimmers in the Snapshots of Success.
16-year-old Jojo Ramey was the youngest swimmer to make the Olympic semifinals and finished 7th in the 200 backstroke. Ramey, a sophomore at FHS, has her eyes on the 2024 Olympic Games.
17-year-old Kyle Ponsler also competed for a spot on the Olympic team. He qualified for Wave 1 of the Trials and placed 2nd in the 400 Individual Medley, which secured him a spot in Wave 2. Kyle placed 36th, however, his time qualified him as the 2nd fastest “18 & Under” for international competition.
When USA Swimming selected the Top 2 for the World Cup Jr. Team (18 & Under), both Ponsler and Ramey (she was the fastest 18 & Under in the 100 and 200 Backstroke) were chosen to represent USA in the FINA Swimming World Cup in Budapest, Hungary on September 28 then the following week, they will be in Berlin, Germany competing against the fastest 18 & Under athletes in the World. They leave Berlin on October 10 for their return home.
Ponsler has committed to NC State to continue his academic and athletic pursuits. Fishers Head Swim Coach Joseph Keller says, “many of the athletes that experience these International Competitions qualify for future Olympic Games. So, 2024 and 2028 is a goal for both of these athletes and preparations are being made accordingly.”
If only they’d have had the mask mandate from the beginning of the school year. My elementary school son’s entire class had to quarantine for a week already because of a positive covid case from just before the mask mandate went into effect. I’m hoping it’s the only time.