Mitchell Board of Education to reconsider mask mandate

Nov. 7—The Mitchell Board of Education Monday will consider repealing the mandate that requires that masks be worn on all K-12 Mitchell School District property from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 5 p.m. at the Mitchell Career & Technical Education Academy commons.

An item on the agenda for the Nov. 8 meeting indicates that Joe Graves, superintendent for the Mitchell School District, will recommend that the board repeal the mandate that it put in place in August. His recommendation comes after consultation with area health care officials.

"During my most recent conversation with health care professionals from the Avera system, it was communicated to me that, due to expected declines in active cases, hospitalizations, etc., it was now reasonable to consider changing the mask protocol from required to recommended," Graves wrote in his meeting notes. "Given that, it is my recommendation that the mask mandate be eliminated, effective immediately, and that the return to school protocols list masks as recommended."

That board voted earlier in August to begin the 2021-22 school year with masks recommended, but not required. The board then called a special meeting two weeks later and reversed course, re-implementing the mandate for all district grounds with the exception of Mitchell Technical College, citing infection numbers and advice from health care professionals.

The board voted 5-0 to reestablish the mandate at that meeting, but also set a deadline for the November board meeting to review the same protocols.

Public opposition to the mandate has continued to be vocal at recent board meetings.

Graves also noted in his agenda notes that he is recommending that, once the board has a motion on the table for the subject that they hear from members of the public opposed to his recommendation with a suggested time limit of 20 minutes. He then suggests a straw poll of the board so those on the other side of the argument will know how the vote is likely to go. The floor would then be opened to those who are in favor of the recommendation.

Masks, their use and their effectiveness have been the subject of much discussion since the arrival of COVID-19 during the 2019-20 school year. The Mitchell School District moved to a virtual learning format for the remainder of that year before beginning the 2020-21 school year with a requirement that masks be worn on all district property.

The board indicated that the subject would be back on their meeting agenda for the Nov. 8 regular meeting of the board and that they would consider removing the mandate at that time. According to the latest numbers released by the district, released Nov. 3, there were five active cases of COVID-19 in the district's five schools. There had been a total of 35 cases over the course of the year, with recovered cases numbering 30.

According to statistics from the South Dakota Department of Health, as of Friday, there were 5,857 active cases of the disease in South Dakota, with 187 currently hospitalized. Davison County was listed as experiencing high community spread, with 105 active cases. The disease has killed 2,267 people in the state.

The Mitchell Republic will livestream the meeting.

Student representation

The board is also expected to consider a change in policy that would better recognize students representatives and their interaction with the board of education and its policy procedures.

Graves said in his agenda notes that he had been contacted by Sarah Sebert, Mitchell High School student body president, about the possibility of having the board formally recognize student body representatives for the purpose of providing ongoing input to the board of education.

He said the intent of the new policy would be:

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To provide ongoing input to the board of education from the students the district serves.

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To recognize student government and offer representatives of such actual civics experience by providing them with a new, meaningful opportunity to inform educational practice.

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To clarify the avenues of input, while also setting boundaries for such in school governance, custom and law.

Should the board approve of the policy changes, the matter would return to the board in December for a second reading. The policy would then be expected to be enacted in January of 2022.

Personnel

The board is expected to review the following personnel moves at the meeting:

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The new classified hires of Debra Landreth, custodial at Mitchell High School, $14/hour, effective Oct. 18; Natacha Stern, paraeducator at L.B. Williams Elementary, $13.50/hour, effective Oct. 19; Cody Jenkins, paraeducator at Mitchell High School, $13/hour at 3.5 hours per day, effective Nov. 15 and Jess Huber, paraeducator at Longfellow Elementary, $14/hour at 7 hours per day, effective Nov. 15.

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The resignations of Lena Tschoepe, paraeducator at Mitchell High School, effective Oct. 29, Merv Bouchie, golf coach, effective end of 2021-22 school year, Kayla Petersen, paraeducator at Longfellow Elementary, effective Nov. 3; Timothy Steckel, maintenance, effective Oct. 29 and Mark Horan, boys and girls golf coach, effective 2021-22 school year.

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The new Mitchell Technical College hire of Nicole Popp, financial aid specialist, $17,000, effective Oct. 25.

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The Mitchell Technical College resignations of Jenna Reis, admissions director, effective Nov. 19 and Jaycee Berg, admissions representative, effective Nov. 10.

Other business

Also at the meeting, the board is expected to:

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Consider declaring equipment surplus and approve the purchase of two tractors through OMNIA Partners Purchasing Cooperative.

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Consider purchasing lots for the Mitchell Technical College ADBC site houses.

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Consider approving a resolution authorizing a supplement to a sublease agreement between the Mitchell School District and the South Dakota Board of Technical Education.

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Hear a presentation on Mitchell Technical College Fast Facts 2021 and the proposed campus Ag Power lab addition.

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Hear board member reports.

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Hear the superintendent reports.

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Hear public commentary.