Elementary School Teacher Katie Organ, pictured at center, works through a lesson on sound formation with students. Since it is important to see a teacher’s mouth when learning how to pronounce letters, students and teachers can remove their masks while a clear barrier is between them. (Photo submitted)
Triad Local Schools are adjusting after the first COVID-19 cases among staff and students.
During Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Vickie Hoffman said she learned of the first student case on Sunday.
“Since then it’s kind of been a whirlwind,” she said.
The superintendent said two students and one staff member have tested positive.
One student is a middle schooler and the other is a high school student.
Hoffman said neither of the students ride a bus. The high schooler is an athlete, she said, which has resulted in quarantines among wrestlers and basketball players.
The staff member is a school nurse.
Hoffman noted that the district nursing staff rotates shifts and only works a few days a week. She said the nurse who tested positive began feeling sick during her days off and was not in the building for several days before she tested positive.
Six additional staff members are currently quarantined. Hoffman said most staff quarantines are not a result of school activities, but exposure to the virus in their personal lives.
The district also has 69 students that are quarantining.
Hoffman said there is a “bigger trend of parents testing positive,” which results in students in their household being required to quarantine.
As the number of COVID-19 cases in the region continues to grow, Triad has assumed some of the responsibilities typically handled by the local health department.
The superintendent said the Champaign Health District does not have the capacity to handle contact tracing at schools. Instead health department staff is only calling those who have tested positive.
Hoffman said district staff has been asked to notify any contacts of individuals who have tested positive for the virus. However, they are only tasked with contacting those at school or who participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities.
“It’s a lot to do all that contact tracing,” she said.
Hoffman said the district uses seating charts to identify who may have been a close contact of a student that tested positive. They also look through sports rosters, if the student is an athlete.
She said staff has also prepared a contact plan if a student who rides the bus tests positive.
To quickly respond to any cases or questions, Hoffman said the district has a COVID investigation team that has been meeting since July.
Along with Hoffman, the team consists of Director of Operations Neil Laughbaum, Elementary School Principal Lee Claypool and a few other staff members.
They meet weekly to discuss trends in the county and state, answer questions from staff and send updates to Triad families.
Hoffman said she learned of the first positive student test at approximately noon Sunday. Within a couple hours, she said the district’s COVID investigation team was working on the case and reaching out to contacts.
Despite the recent cases, she said only 8% of the district is currently participating in virtual learning.
Triad returned to school with full in-person learning at the beginning of the academic year.
Families were allowed to select whether they would like to attend classes in the building or virtually at home.
Students had the first three weeks of classes to switch their decision. After that point, they would only be allowed to change their learning mode at the beginning of the second semester.
Following the first few cases at Triad, Hoffman said families were once again given the option to switch to virtual learning.
She said “only a few kids at the high school” changed to learning from home, while no other buildings were affected.
“We plan to go face-to-face as long as we can,” Hoffman said.
To do so, Claypool, Triad’s elementary school principal, said teachers have been finding creative ways to share lessons effectively and stay safe.
During an activity called “Share the Pen,” students usually hand a marker back and forth with a teacher while practicing how to draw letters.
Now, she said the teacher and student use separate markers and each use hand sanitizer afterwards.
When younger students learn how to pronounce letters, Claypool said it is important for students to see the teacher’s mouths so they know how to form the sounds.
Likewise, teachers need to be able to see the students’ mouths to ensure they are pronouncing letters correctly.
So, Claypool said teachers have erected special clear dividers on circular tables so the students and teachers can stay safe while their masks are off.
As the situation develops, Hoffman said she anticipates more COVID cases but the staff is prepared to keep students as safe as possible and ensure families are informed.
“Right now, the biggest thing is just communicating,” she said.