COVID-19 mitigation protocols remain unchanged for USD 253 Emporia following the board of education’s recent meeting Wednesday.
Board members took no action to alter any of its current COVID guidelines, in line with a recommendation from the COVID-19 advisory committee, meaning mandatory masking, social distancing and all other strategies will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. Superintendent Dr. Allison Anderson-Harder says the decision comes as the district is in a good place when it comes to COVID transmission and does not want to risk any backpedaling especially with Halloween coming this weekend.
While the district will not be altering any of its mitigation strategies, there will be a change in schedule when it comes to the advisory committee’s meetings. Anderson-Harder reports the committee has decided to convene only once a month rather than twice, and will only be presenting a COVID-19 update once a month to the board of education. She says this decision was made in an effort to cut down on repetitious conversations and to quell any concerns or anxiety for families and staff.
With the board only convening twice over the next two months, Anderson-Harder says the next report from the committee will be presented during the board’s December meeting. The committee will convene more than once a month if a situation arises requiring more immediate response.
The decision comes as the district is in talks with Lyon County Public Health on the possibility of having some elementary schools serve as host sites for future COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Anderson-Harder tells KVOE News having the district provide clinic sites would reduce the number of barriers between families and vaccinations and provide more convenience for all staff and students who want to receive a vaccination but have not had the opportunity to do so.
In other business, board members received a presentation on preliminary enrollment trends for the 2021-22 school year. According to the report, the overall unaudited headcount was up by one from 4,322 for the 2020-21 school year to 4,323 as of Sept. 20 2021.
The number of students within the Hispanic demographic increased from 46.9 percent to 47.1 percent while the percentage of white students dropped slightly from 44.8 percent to 44.7 percent.
Pre-K enrollment numbers were up from 185 last year to 201 after parents chose to keep students home the previous year due to COVID-19. District Associate Executive Director of Assessment and Accountability Dr. Ryan Karjala says the district will need to keep a sharp eye on kindergarten enrollment which has been decreasing steadily in recent years.
Karjala says the decline in kindergarten enrollment is likely linked to a dip in Lyon County birth rates. In 2016 the birthrate was 13.1 per 1,000 residents and dropped to 10.9 in 2019.
The preliminary numbers presented Wednesday are subject to change based on a Kansas Department of Education enrollment audit set to begin Friday.
Separately, the board also approved a payment of $253,859 out of the Building for the Future bond master budget to address necessary improvements to district buildings outlined by the Kansas Fire Marshall.
The USD 253 Board of Education will reconvene for its next regular meeting Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 7 pm inside the Mary Herbert Education Center.
