Sup’s Corner

In this Sup’s Corner, I’d like to make a direct appeal to the people in our community focused around our back to school plan. At this point we have put together a solid plan for going back to school. It includes options for families who don’t feel safe having their children return, and options for families who are willing to work with us given the current circumstances. However, there’s so much more to our plan than that.

The plan is quite lengthy, because there is not an easy solution to this difficult problem. We had a team of over 60 individuals, over three days, working to make it the best it could be. It will most likely have revisions as circumstances change, but we stand willing to be flexible and work toward making good decisions.

The plan is based upon three levels of community transmission of the virus; green, yellow, and red. In fact, nearly every state plan for back to school includes at least three levels of community transmission because those three levels have been defined by local Health agencies throughout the state. Our local agency, Panhandle Health District, is helping us to determine which level our community is in. Simply, the green level means no transmission, and red means significant transmission. These levels are fully defined on their website.

As I write this message, our community is currently in the yellow stage due to our recent uptick in cases and the way they have spread among us. I can’t predict which stage we will be in at the start of the school year; so, we will depend upon the experts to let us know and respond accordingly.

The green level is the least restrictive and it means more kids in school for more hours. This is the level we hope to be in as often as possible during the school year. District personnel have taken measures to prevent the spread of the virus and we are doing our part to get into the green level. What we need is for our community to stand alongside us and also take safety precautions to get us back to the green level. Wanting kids and teachers in our building is shared by everyone. So, everyone can play a vital role in getting us back to school.

Some of our local businesses have required facial coverings in order to access their facilities. They realize their employees and the people who frequent their businesses are precious. Students and staff in the Kellogg School District are no less precious and we can all play a part in keeping them safe.

Please, follow the guidelines of the experts. They all say that in order to prevent the spread of the virus, face coverings are important; social distancing is important; washing our hands often is important; and, limiting our interactions is important. We can do this if we do it together.