Salem Community High School Superintendent Dr. Brad Detering says COVID-19 cases continue to impact the district.
He reports as of Monday, there are 35 students out. 23 are COVID positive, three are pending test results and nine others are close contacts. Detering is hoping they are on the downhill side now as more students are coming back than leaving the school as a result of COVID. Two teachers are also out. He reports both teachers and 22 of the students are scheduled to return in the next few days.
“We’ve been able to staff the building pretty well. We do have some people doing some extra duty such as teachers covering classes on their planning time. Between substitutes available and in-house subbing we’ve been able to get everything covered.”
Detering says they are also using Zoom for some quarantined students.
Kids that are out because they are either a positive case or they have a household or close contact zoom in, so the class is live zoom, so hopefully, they don’t fall very far behind. With the new CDC-IDPH guidance with it being just a five-day quarantine, it really helps in kids not falling behind.”
Detering also updated the board on the window replacement project that is now underway. The project will replace most of the outside windows in the school and is part of $10-million in work scheduled for this year. Detering says one or two windows are replaced each night and classrooms are ready to go again the next morning. The window work is being done early to allow other renovation work to proceed more quickly this summer.
The board named Kevin Greene as the new athletic director to replace Scott Steward who is retiring at the end of the year. Greene will remain as football coach and run the weight room but is likely will not teach US history for half a day.
The board hired Katie King for the Prom decorating committee.
