SCHOOL YEAR AND ALREADY WE'RE
SEEING CHILDREN BEING
QUARANTINED AT SCHOOLS AROUND
THE STATE IN ORDER TO PREVENT
FURTHER OUTBREAKS OF THE
COVID-19 VIRUS.
EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS COME UP
WITH THEIR OWN PLAN ON HOW TO
HANDLE THIS.
FIRST WE HEAD TO NORTHERN
WISCONSIN AND CLAIRE MARTIN,
INTERIM DISTRICT ADMINISTRATOR
AT LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL IN
MINOCQUA.
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> HAPPY TO BE HERE.
>> ONE WEEK IN, HAVE YOU HAD ANY
CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN
YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICT THIS YEAR?
>> YES, WE HAVE.
>> AND HOW ARE YOU HANDLING
THAT?
WHAT'S THE PLAN IN PLACE TO DEAL
WITH THESE OUTBREAKS?
>> WELL, WHEN STUDENTS ARE
IDENTIFIED, MOST OF THEM WILL
CONNECT WITH OUR SCHOOL NURSE.
SHE'S THE ONE THAT IS KEEPING
CONTROL OF OUR DATA.
AND THEY ARE SENT HOME TO
QUARANTINE AND THERE IS NO
DIFFERENCE IN OUR POLICY WHETHER
THEY ARE VACCINATED OR
UNVACCINATED.
OUR STUDENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR
VACCINATIONS.
THEY NEED TO QUARANTINE.
IF THEY HAVE A NEGATIVE TEST,
THEN THEY CAN RETURN TO SCHOOL.
THEY HAVE TO LIVE OUT THE
DURATION OF THE QUARANTINE BUT
THEN THEY'RE ABLE TO COME BACK.
WE REQUEST THEY TEST WITHIN
THREE TO FIVE DAYS OF SYMPTOMS.
>> LAKELAND IS MAKING MASKS
OPTIONAL.
WAS THAT YOUR DECISION OR THE
SCHOOL BOARD'S DECISION?
>> WELL, THAT WAS A DECISION
THAT WAS ACTUALLY STARTED BEFORE
I ARRIVED HERE.
I'M NEW THIS YEAR TO THE SCHOOL
DISTRICT, SO THE PREVIOUS
ADMINISTRATION WAS WORKING ON
THAT PLAN AND HAD BROUGHT IT TO
THE BOARD'S ATTENTION PRIOR TO
MY COMING.
BUT THEN THE BOARD DID APPROVE A
MASK OPTIONAL PLAN SHORTLY
BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED.
>> WAS THERE A LOT OF COMMUNITY
OUTREACH IN THAT?
I MEAN, HOW MUCH DID LOCAL
POLITICS PLAY INTO A DECISION
THAT BIG WHEN WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT STUDENTS WHO ARE LARGELY
UNVACCINATED IF THEY'RE UNDER
THE AGE OF 12?
>> RIGHT.
ACTUALLY, WE HAD TWO MEETINGS
REGARDING THIS.
THE FIRST MEETING WAS REALLY A
DISCUSSION WHERE THE PLAN WAS
UNVEILED TO THE BOARD.
AND I WOULD SAY WE HAD, I DON'T
KNOW, MAYBE 10 TO 12 COMMUNITY
MEMBERS THAT WERE THERE.
IT WAS VERY RESPECTFUL.
PEOPLE OFFERED THEIR INPUT TO
THE BOARD.
THE BOARD TOOK IT INTO
CONSIDERATION.
THEN THEY HELD A SECOND MEETING
WHERE THEY NOTICED IT ON THEIR
AGENDA WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO
VOTE AND APPROVE THE PLAN.
THEY MADE SOME CHANGES TO THE
PLAN AT THAT POINT.
AGAIN, WE HAD COMMUNITY MEMBERS
COME FORWARD, I WOULD SAY 8 TO
10.
MOST OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE
ANTIMASK PEOPLE.
WE REALLY DIDN'T HEAR FROM
ANYONE IN THE COMMUNITY AT
EITHER OF THOSE MEETINGS THAT
WERE PRO MASK.
THE BOARD ALSO LISTENED TO THE
ADVICE OF THE MEDICAL ADVISER AT
THAT MEETING AND PROCEEDED TO
APPROVE THE PLAN.
>> NOW, AT WHAT POINT WOULD YOU
ASK THE SCHOOL BOARD TO
RECONSIDER?
A STUDY BY THE CDC SHOWED AN
OUTBREAK COULD AFFECT 90% OF
STUDENTS.
DO YOU PLAN TO KEEP LOOKING AT
THIS IF THE OUTBREAKS CONTINUE?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WHEN THE BOARD APPROVED THE
PLAN, I ASKED THEM TO READ A
STATEMENT PRIOR TO THE APPROVAL
THAT GIVES THE ADMINISTRATION
THE ABILITY TO READ THE DATA,
WATCH THE TRENDS AND ADJUST THE
PLAN AS NEEDED.
CLEARLY WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO
BRING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS
FORWARD TO OUR BOARD AND OUR
COMMUNITY.
BUT THE UNDERSTANDING IS THIS IS
VERY FLUID AND WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO BE FLUID ALONG WITH THE
DATA AND REACT ACCORDINGLY.
OUR GOAL IS TO KEEP OUR SCHOOL
OPEN EVERY DAY OF THE SCHOOL
YEAR.
IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE MAY NEED
TO MAKE SOME CHANGES.
>> NOW, I'VE READ THAT THERE
ISN'T A SCHOOL DISTRICT NORTH OF
STEVENS POINT THAT IS REQUIRING
MASKS THIS YEAR.
DO THE COMMUNITIES IN NORTHERN
WISCONSIN NOT WORRY ABOUT
COVID-19 OR DO THEY THINK OF IT
DIFFERENTLY WHEN IT COMES TO
STUDENTS?
>> NO.
I DON'T THINK SO.
I JUST THINK THAT IT'S A HIGHLY
PERSONAL DECISION, AND I THINK
THAT PEOPLE, ALL PEOPLE, WHETHER
THEY'RE PRO MASK OR NOT PRO
MASK, ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THEIR
CHILDREN.
IT'S JUST BECOME A VERY
POLITICAL ISSUE, AS YOU KNOW,
AND IN SOME CASES UNFORTUNATELY
HAS BECOME QUITE DIVISIVE IN
SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND EVEN IN
FAMILIES.
SO WE'RE JUST TRYING TO BE
SENSITIVE TO THAT AND ALLOW
PARENTS TO MAKE THE BEST
DECISION THEY CAN FOR THEIR
CHILD.
>> NOW, ON THE DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH SERVICES WEBSITE IT SAYS
THE VACCINATION RATE IN ONEIDA
COUNTY IS AROUND 60%, BUT NO
KIDS UNDER THE AGE OF 12 ARE
VACCINATED.
ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING DIFFERENT
IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AS OPPOSED
TO HIGH SCHOOLS WHERE KIDS AT
LEAST HAVE A CHOICE TO BE
VACCINATED?
>> OUR DISTRICT IS ONLY A HIGH
SCHOOL DISTRICT, SO WE ONLY HAVE
GRADES 9 THROUGH 12.
I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT THE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS MIGHT BE
DOING IN THAT REGARD.
>> NOW, ARE YOU TESTING IN
SCHOOL OR ARE YOU RELYING ON
PARENTS GETTING THEIR KIDS
TESTED ELSEWHERE AND THEN
NOTIFYING THE SCHOOL?
>> WE'RE REQUESTING THAT
FAMILIES TAKE THEIR CHILDREN TO
THE MARSHFIELD CLINIC TESTING
CENTER, WHICH IS LITERALLY
ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR HIGH
SCHOOL, FOR TESTING.
I KNOW THAT SOME SCHOOLS THAT
DON'T HAVE HEALTH FACILITIES AS
ACCESSIBLE AS WE DO ARE TESTING
WITHIN THEIR SCHOOLS.
>> THE FEDERAL COVID RELIEF BILL
SENT MONEY TO SCHOOLS.
HOW MUCH MONEY DOES YOUR
DISTRICT HAVE LEFT AND WILL THAT
BE ENOUGH IF OUTBREAKS KEEP
HAPPENING?
>> WELL, MY UNDERSTANDING IS
THAT THERE ARE THREE RO ROLL-OUS
OF THE FUNDING.
THE FIRST TWO HAVE ALREADY
OCCURRED.
LAKELAND HAS ALREADY EXPENDED
MOST IF NOT ALL OF THE FIRST TWO
ALLOTMENTS.
THE FIRST IS COMING.
IT'S CALLED ESER FUNDS AND WE'RE
ANTICIPATING THAT WILL BE
APPROVED SOMETIME IN OCTOBER AND
THAT WILL BE A SIGNIFICANT
AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT WE WILL BE
ABLE TO USE TO HELP US IN THIS
-- DURING THESE PANDEMIC TIMES.
>> NOW, REPUBLICANS IN THE STATE
LEGISLATURE USED THE EXISTENCE
OF THAT INCOMING FEDERAL FUNDING
TO JUSTIFY NOT INCREASING STATE
AID TO SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE JUST ABOUT A MINUTE
LEFT.
WHAWHAT DOES YOUR OVERALL BUDGET
LOOK LIKE FOR THIS COMING SCHOOL
YEAR?
>> WELL, THE FUNDS ARE GOING TO
HELP US TREMENDOUSLY IN
PROVIDING SUPPORT TO KIDS THAT
NEED IT THAT HAVE BEEN REALLY
AFFECTED BY THIS PANDEMIC
SOCIALLY AND EMOTIONALLY.
AND SO I'M GLAD THAT THAT IN
FACT DID NOT OCCUR AND THAT
THOSE FUNDS ARE GOING TO BE HERE
TO HELP OUR STUDENTS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
CLAIRE MARTIN FROM LAKELAND
UNION, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR
YOUR TIME TODA