Transportation Troubles
School may be out for the summer at Groesbeck ISD, but board members and administrators are working hard in their absence to plan a successful approaching school year, despite continued education/transportation restructuring as a result of COVID-19. In a lengthy ZOOM video conference meeting on Monday, June 15, the board spent more than half the meeting learning about the pros and cons of dual credit through Navarro Junior College and dual enrollment through UT On-Ramps, both of which are offered at GISD. For details about this presentation and related board decisions regarding the future of dual credit/enrollment at GHS, keep an eye on next week’s edition of the Groesbeck Journal. The board also discussed changes and safety measures that will be necessary regarding transportation in the (likely to occur but not yet confirmed) summer school session, and the regular 2020- 2021 school year.
Superintendent Dr. James Cowley provided the board with information regarding the Texas Education Agency (TEA) recommendations for transporting students during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, explaining that wording used was very important, as the repeated use of “should” does not carry the same weight at “must” or “shall”, and indicates recommendations not requirements. He sought guidance from the board on how to best adjust transportation procedures to prioritize safety while still allowing for a functional department. Cowley stated that since his conversation with Education Commissioner Mike Morath, language in TEA guidelines has changed to allow students from the same household to sit together, but would still greatly handicap the number of students allowed on each bus, which under normal circumstances seat up to 71 passengers, plus the bus driver.
“If you follow the guidelines completely, that means that we would only be able to put 12 students on a 71 passenger bus. The next option, which would allow 47 passengers, is where we have two kids per seat, and of course, the 71 is three (students per seat),” Cowley said.”One of my first questions with these guidelines is do you want me to follow them exactly? And if we follow them exactly, that means we’ve got 12 kids on a bus and I can tell you, I can’t run a transportation department putting 12 kids on a bus. We’ll go broke on trying to run the routes.”
Transportation Director Dayne Duncan shared that the two largest capacity afternoon bus routes from last school year, one in Groesbeck and one that traveled to Kosse, transported 68 students each, confirming that afternoon routes typically service more riders than morning routes.
Board Member Aslone Foy inquired about the district’s risk of liability should they choose to continue bus services as usual to however many riders needed the transportation, to which Cowley responded that they would not technically be breaking any transportation rules or regulations, only disregarding TEA guidelines. After more discussion, it was determined that the district should create an Acknowledgement and Release of Liability form for parents to sign in order for their student(s) to ride the bus, similar to what parents were required to sign in order to participate in the 2020 graduation ceremony.
Duncan also expressed some concerns regarding the age and health of his bus drivers, as a majority of them are age 65 and above, falling into the “at-risk” category with the COVID-19 pandemic. Should one of them contract the virus, TEA would likely not offer backing if their guidelines were not followed. He stated that there was a chance the district may lose two or three drivers due to health concerns, and further, should that happen, the district will likely have difficulty finding new or more drivers as certification classes are not being offered at this time.
Duncan listed several procedures the district already plans to implement, including:
Hand sanitizer stations to be installed at the front of the bus for students to use upon boarding,
Filling the bus in a back to front order to minimize cross-contact with other students, and
Wiping the bus seats and high touch areas down after students exit the bus, then spraying them down with disinfectant before buses can be boarded again.
Jud Hughes brought into question the effectiveness of limiting and shrinking the number of bus riders when students will likely find themselves in group settings later in the day at lunchtime, etc., to which Cowley responded that cafeterias too will be undergoing changes. Students will be eating at individual desks spaced six feet apart in classroom groups or “pods” of up to 22 students, which will be spaced at least 12 feet from neighboring classroom “pods”. Cowley further stated that horseshoe desks, round tables, large rectangular tables, etc. will be removed from classrooms to ensure social distancing.
Bridgette Jackson-Tatum expressed that she believes bus riders need to have temperatures taken before boarding the bus, instead of after arriving at the school, to reduce risk of contact spread of COVID-19. Whether masks should be required for bus-riding students or only encouraged also sparked some differing opinions.
Board members expressed that if temperatures were required to be taken upon boarding, and masks were required, a monitor would likely be needed for each bus to assist the driver with ensuring students were safe and followed these rules. Upon further discussion, Duncan and some board members shared worries about potentially increasing a risk for traffic problems/accidents as a result of lengthened stops by requiring bus drivers to take temperatures of students before allowing them to board.
Details deemed agreeable by the board during the course of conversation included:
Continuing to provide transportation services to transfer students, who are picked up from in other cities (45 students from Marlin, and 25 students from Mexia),
Continuing to provide transportation services to students who live within a 2-mile radius of the school (375 students),
Seating family members together when possible, but seating non-familial students together when necessary, and
Requiring bus drivers to wear a mask and gloves.
Some details, such as whether or not students bus riders should be required to wear masks, and how many total students to allow per bus were not clearly determined during the course of the meeting. However, Cowley stated that all decisions regarding transportation would be vital in determining whether or not summer school will be feasible for the district, as many parents have stated their child’s participation would be contingent on the availability of transportation. He stated that the district’s decision regarding summer school and what format it would take will be announced sometime next week, after the deadline for parent surveys closed on Wed., June 17, and each campus had a chance to contact all students who need to attend.
The board also voted to hire two teachers from the Philippines on J-1 visas for science positions at GHS, at the recommendation of Cowley and high school principal Dr. Bomar.
Cowley explained that the salary and benefits packages would be the same for these teachers, and that the one-year probationary period the district uses for new teachers would also apply to these teachers, keeping the district from being stuck with the teachers should they prove not to be a good fit. A visa fee ($1,760) must be paid annually for each teacher, and the visa structure is considered to be like an exchange program, in which each teacher will find a host family in Groesbeck to live with.
Bomar explained that these two positions had received no other applications at the time of the meeting, and that the clock is ticking to get them filled. She also expressed that she had previous experience with math and science teachers from India on J-1 visas in other districts, and only had positive things to say about working with the teachers, not to mention the cultural benefits for both students and teachers. After some discussion, board members approved these new hires.
In regards to district information, Cowley informed the board that summer workouts were underway, and an average of about 70 male athletes and 70 female athletes were participating in the twohour sessions each weekday. Cowley also shared the news that the state would be sending some PPE (personal protection equipment) by the end of July, and additional shipments can be expected as the school year continues.
In other business, the board:
Approved consent agenda;
Increased salaries for all employees (including hourly employees and paraprofessionals not on the teacher pay scale) by 1.92%;
Approved the parent notice requirements for students at risk of failure waiver, which will inform parents of 4th and 7th-grade students about the possibility of their need for extra assistance, since no STAAR test was given to gauge readiness for upcoming grades where they must pass tests in relation to Student Success Initiative (SSI) in order to move forward.
The board entered into Executive Session at 10:19 p.m., and upon reconvening in open session, approved the hiring of personnel and the posting of a LVN position for GMS. The meeting adjourned at 10:29 p.m.