BCSD talks virus safety

Gil Pound, The Union-Recorder, Milledgeville, Ga.
·4 min read

Feb. 13—In addition to their already demanding jobs, educators this school year have had the added burden of trying to keep COVID-19 at bay.

A few measures to guard against the spread of the pandemic-inducing virus were discussed at Tuesday's Baldwin County Board of Education work session and regular board meeting.

Last month, the Baldwin County School District (BCSD) announced that ionization modules, which are said to rid or drastically decrease the amount of harmful pathogens being circulated indoors, were coming to all school buildings after a $213,000 purchase. The air-cleaning units are already in place at Oak Hill Middle School after that facility was fully renovated last summer. Installation at other schools began this week with the Early Learning Center, and all but two buildings are scheduled to be completed by March 12. That's a much quicker turnaround than was previously announced as installation was expected to last about until the end of the school year. Midway Hills Primary and Midway Hills Academy are scheduled to receive significant renovations this summer, so their ionization units will be put in place then because HVAC improvements are part of those projects.

School officials are looking to add the ionization technology, not just in school buildings, but also school buses. More information is expected to be presented to the school board next month, per an announcement at Tuesday's meeting.

"It's really cutting edge stuff," BCSD Deputy Superintendent Matt Adams said. "If we could get that on our buses, we would be well ahead of the game."

The ionization units are being paid for with CARES (coronavirus aid, relief, and economic security Act funding received by the school system last year. The act, passed by U.S. Congress and signed by former President Donald Trump in late March, provided emergency funds to schools so they could add safety measures to help stem the tide of the pandemic.

Students and staff are wearing masks to school every day, among other safety protocols in place to fight the novel coronavirus.

The next weapon in the fight against the contagious virus is of course the vaccine, though it is not yet available to educators unless they are also 65 or older, a frontline health worker or first responder. Georgia is currently in Phase 1A+ of administering the COVID vaccine, and it will become available to educators as well as other essential non-health care workers once Phase 1B begins. School Superintendent Dr. Noris Price told board members and those present Tuesday that she is hearing the next phase may begin at the end of March or early April depending on vaccine supply. She shared that 28 of 37 BCSD employees 65 or older have received the vaccine. The superintendent also recently pushed out a survey to all employees asking if they would get the vaccine were it available to them now. Price said 52% of respondents said yes, 18% were unsure, and 30% said "not at this time." The school district held a virtual panel this week hosted by health care professionals to give more information and answer questions about the vaccine for those who are apprehensive.

"We're hoping that we'll be able to educate our employees so they will be comfortable taking the vaccine... Our goal is to get at least 70% to 75% of our employees vaccinated," Price said.

Price is one of 13 superintendents across the state named to a working group of Georgia Department of Education and Georgia Department of Public Health representatives that will come together to discuss vaccine distribution to education workers. That group has not yet met.

In other business Tuesday, the school board also:

* approved moving Baldwin High School's Class of 2021 graduation from the Centennial Center to Braves Stadium;

* approved the awarding of RFP #012-2021 for construction management services for renovations to Midway Hills Primary, Midway Hills Academy and Lakeview Primary to Garbutt Construction Company;

* approved a resolution recognizing February as Black History Month;

* approved personnel recommendations;

* revised July's meeting date from July 6 to July 20;

* approved academic calendars for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years; and

* announced that the groundbreaking for the Early Learning Center's new splash pad will take place April 1.