COVID-19 has caused area school districts, USD 253 Emporia included, to make several adjustments to their operations — and those alterations go beyond mitigation policies and procedures.
USD 253 Emporia was forced to adjust its food service plans after Sysco, the company that won the district’s food bid, stopped deliveries to schools so it could concentrate on serving restaurants — which don’t have the USD requirements that schools have. District Community Relations Director Lyndel Landgren says EVCO has picked up as many of the Sysco items for the district as possible, but EVCO has discovered that some specialty items are not available — including the popular crispitos.
The district has to adjust from a centralized meal delivery program to a building-by-building approach.
This comes as the district is seeking transportation drivers and bus paras. Because of an ongoing personnel shortage, four routes were eliminated by adding pickups to other existing routes. Landgren says the district can pick up all students who need bus transportation and is doing its utmost to make sure students aren’t on buses for more than an hour. Some districts are so short on staff they are offering parents hundreds of dollars worth of incentives to take their own kids to school, but Landgren says Emporia is not in that situation.
If there’s one thing parents don’t have to worry about, it’s the ongoing support of First United Methodist Church as part of its annual school supplies drive. Once again, the church provided school supplies for all students of USD 253 Emporia, Emporia Christian School and Sacred Heart. Longtime organizer Dana Roemer:
Roemer says it typically costs around $54,000 a year to buy all the supplies, so fundraising is a major part of the effort. This year’s drive cost around $38,000, due to savings from last year.
When it comes to COVID-19 protocols, USD 253 Emporia is asking parents and students to call their doctors, Lyon County Public Health or school nurses if students develop any one of several symptoms:
*Fever of 100 degrees or higher
*Chills, muscle or body aches
*New loss of taste or smell
*Fatigue
*Headache
*Sore throat
*Cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
*Diarrhea or vomiting
USD 253 Community Relations says it will help parents set up COVID-19 testing at Lyon County Public Health if questions arise during the school week, while weekend concerns should be handled by medical providers.
The district has also outlined COVID-19 guidelines for when students can return to class, depending on whether they were simply exposed to the virus or whether they have a positive test, negative test or no test.
