Hurley School stays course with offering in-school, virtual options

HURLEY — The Hurley Board of Education will not make changes to its in-classroom with virtual option reopening plan, or the decision to go ahead with fall sports after taking no action at a special meeting on Tuesday.

The school board approved its reopening plan 5-0 and fall sports schedule 3-2 at an Aug. 17 meeting. Three school board members requested a special meeting to revisit the decision, “due to the current health data change, and the importance of this decision,” as stated on the agenda.

Leslie Kolesar, school board president, said the emergency rules allow for board members to call meetings within two hours. If the board is revisiting a decision, there should be a likelihood that members may change their mind based on new information or circumstances, she said.

“If you call a special meeting, please think,” Kolesar said. “Is this something the board needs to address or is this under the administrative domain?”

Three board members requested the meeting by email, according to Kevin Genisot, school district administrator.

Discussion on the board’s reopening plan included questions about the elementary school open house events. Board members questioned whether it ran contrary to the school’s reopening guidelines for social distancing and 15-minute contact, and allowing non-students or faculty in the building.

Steve Lombardo, elementary school principal, said the activities do comply with the new rules of operation. Students come in with parents to briefly meet their teachers individually and pick up school supplies.

The open houses involve two grades per day, with separate enterance and exit doors, he said. Temperatures were taken and face masks were worn, he said.

Joe Simonich, school board member, said it is not doing anybody any good to have their kids home when the school has a solid plan in place. The school is in contact with the Iron County Health Department on a daily basis to make any determination based on community spread following big area events or if there is an outbreak at the school.

“Pick a route and stick with it,” Simonich said. “Let’s not flip and flop all the time.”

Kolesar agreed. She said it can lead to divisiveness on the board and cause anxiety in the community.

Katie Hampston, the health officer with the Iron County Health Department, was present to answer questions from the school board. She said there have been 115 COVID-19 cases in the county since the count started in March. There are currently 23 active cases, she said.

Hampston could not say how many cases were among the 5-to-19 age group. She said the health department will provide school districts with any knowledge regarding how many confirmed COVID-19 cases are in the school district.

There is no specific guidance from the state Department of Health Services as to when schools should stop classroom learning and switch to virtual because of pandemic numbers, or when they should reopen, she said. The health department does have a document to guide schools in directing individuals with coronavirus symptoms to stay home.

Answering questions from the board, Hampston said she couldn’t recommend that schools run their sports programming. Though most youth have been asymptomatic or exhibit mild symptoms, they can get infected and spread the virus to others and the transmission eventually reaches the more vulnerable, she said.

As a mother of an elementary age child herself, Hampston said she understands the challenges with getting the youngest students to wear a mask. It should still be taught and encouraged as it will help mitigate spread, she said.

Jack Croci, a parent of a sophomore student and basketball player, addressed the board prior to its discussion on the two agenda items. He said he sensed that the board might be revisiting its 3-2 decision to allow fall sports and wanted to be sure the members saw all sides of the decision so it would not make decisions based on “fear and emotion.”

Croci encouraged the board to consult with coaches and parents before making decisions that will impact the lives of young athletes as adults. He said that sports are not a graduation requirement and the decision on fall sports should be left to the parents and the community.

“At the last board meeting you made a great decision by putting the decision into the hands of parents,” he said.

Comments at meetings that sports are less important were upsetting to hear, Croci said. Sports is what motivates many young people to work hard in school and they teach life skills beyond competition. 

Kolesar said she agreed with the statements on the value of sports. However, she said that it is because sports are not required that the safety issue of allowing contact sports runs contrary to social distancing and face mask policies at school.