Salem Community High School students will be going back to in-person classes five days a week starting next Monday.
The high school board concurred with the school’s transition team in moving away from students attending only every other day.
Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering says the staff welcomed the change to avoid having to continue to teach to two different groups of students at a time.
“We will be using the 8:00 to 12:40 schedule at least for a little while because we want to get 100% back in person and see what that does with our numbers. We are optimistic as long as we practice good social distancing and quality masking, that we should be able to keep those numbers low and then be able to return where we can have a full day and serve a full lunch. Lunch will still be available in a grab and go scenario. So all students will be able to go through lunch, grab their to-go container and then go off to the bus or car or whatever transportation they have.”
Detering says if numbers look good, they could move back to a full day in March. He notes as of Monday, there were just 15 students on quarantine and no staff.
The district is starting the second semester with 171 students still on full remote learning. That number concerns school board member Sarah Meador who has real issues with those staying away from school due to COVID-19 being allowed to participate in sports and extra-curricular activity. She’s also concerned about what she feels are the lowering of standards to allow most students to pass the first semester.
Other board members said they didn’t know individual family situations and no motions were made to put restrictions on full remote students.
Detering says while the school district is required to offer full remote learning by the Governor, they do have the right to place restrictions on those participating but so far have elected not to do so.
Principal John Boles says the district expects to know more about how sports will look after a meeting of the Illinois High School Association on Wednesday. He reports the conference principals will meet on Thursday to further develop plans.
Boles reported 92-percent student attendance and only one detention during December.
Detering presented the financial report for the first half of the fiscal year. Expenditures are 5.3-percent under budget for the first half of the school year that would put the district in the black for the year. But he noted there are some revenue declines as well including $200,000 in the lunch program and $50,000 in athletic admission fees.
