WCS Superintendent Explains Last Week’s School Closures
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Jackie Gorski-jgorski@timesuniononline.com
Warsaw Community Schools Superintendent Dr. David Hoffert thanked everyone Monday for their flexibility due to the closure of four schools two days last week.
Jefferson and Leesburg elementaries, Lakeview Middle School and Warsaw Community High School were closed Thursday and Friday.
He told the Warsaw School Board that WCS realized it was very unusual and the administration was getting emails stating its absentee rate was getting around 20%. Under state code, WCS has to inform the Indiana State Health Department, along with the local health department, of a large number of students out with illness. WCS had to be made sure the absenteeism wasn’t due to kids going on vacation or educational trips. Hoffert said WCS saw absences adding up in a number of its schools.
It seems there are three things running around:?COVID-19, RSV and the flu, along with the normal cold, he said.
Hoffert also said the school corporation saw an increase in bus drivers calling in sick. The school corporation gets to a critical level when it has nine bus drivers out and, by mid-week, he said 11 drivers were going to be out Thursday and Friday.
Hoffert said any time the school corporation can have its schools open, it’s critical to do so because parents depend on that and in-person learning is the best type of learning.
Earlier in Monday’s meeting, Dr. David Robertson, assistant superintendent of secondary education, updated the Board on a door project the school corporation is working on.
Robertson said an audit was done in the fall and about 89 hiding areas were identified. Due to that, all the classroom doors are going to be replaced at Harrison and Eisenhower elementary schools. The doors are made primarily out of glass, which isn’t ideal for a lot of reasons, he said. The doors will be replaced with full-slab doors that still have a glass cut out for visibility.
A contractor is coming in over winter break to get quotes.
The Board also heard from Leah Sprunger, senior class principal at WCHS, and Rhonda Graney, senior class guidance counselor, about graduation requirements changes this year.
Graduation requirements are split up into three sections: credits, employability skills and post-secondary ready competencies.
Graney said students still need to earn credits for a diploma.
Employability skills is a new requirement, she said. To fulfill the requirement, students have to have a service-, private- or work-based experience. Those can include afterschool commitments or a service project associated with it, such as JROTC or sports. It has to be documented in some way.
Post-secondary ready competencies is to help ensure students have a post-secondary plan, she said, so students are college or career ready. To complete this requirement, students have to complete at least one competency, including taking the ACT, SAT, ASVAB, industry certification, apprenticeship, CTE concentration, a locally-created pathway or taking three AP/dual credit courses with a C average or higher in the courses.
In other business, the Board:
• Recognized Board members Jeremy Mullins and Mike Coon as Monday was their last meeting. They did not seek re-election in the November general election.
Hoffert said he is usually good with change, but not when it comes to changes to Board members. The reason for that is because they have become family over the years.
Hoffert thanked Coon and Mullins for their service. There was a reception for Coon and Mullins before the meeting.
• Approved a Builder’s Association North Central Indiana - Kosciusko County grant. The grant gave $500 for winter coats for students.
• Heard from Dr. Dani Barkey, assistant superintendent of elementary education, about where kindergarteners are after a first quarter assessment as compared to the initial assessment the students took.
The assessment tests students’ ability to recognize lowercase letters, uppercase letters and letter sounds.
Barkey said students are moving in the way the school corporation wants and numbers have improved in proficiency.
