Following a long discussion on a proposed seventh- and eighth-grade intramural basketball program, the McDonald County R-1 School District Board of Education let the matter drop at its Sept. 9 meeting.
Athletic director Bo Bergen said he had researched some solutions to holding the program, which had previously been proposed with consolidated teams. If it was to be held in the fall, he said, it would conflict with junior high volleyball and junior high football. In the spring it would conflict with junior high track, softball and baseball. He said the district would have to hire at least six additional coaches for boys' and girls' teams, and there could be logistical issues with finding gym space. He said there are a lot of other opportunities for students to compete, but adding this one could potentially impact other programs by stretching athletes too thin.
Board members discussed the issue from different perspectives.
Board member John Carlin, who was attending the meeting virtually, said it seemed to him the district's sports programs were giving students more opportunities to get cut from teams.
Bergen said the district cut players in two sports last year and may have to cut one or two this year.
Board member Chris Smith asked how many sports have been added in the past 13 years.
Bergen said the district has added cross country, girls' wrestling, junior high softball and junior high baseball.
"If we add much more we'll be stretching our kids thin," he said.
Board president Frank Woods said he has received calls from people who say that students with no activities become disengaged. Others have told him that without sports they would not have graduated from high school, he said.
Board member Bobby Parish pointed out that it would be challenging for students to get into the seventh- and eighth-grade consolidated program. If 14 students played at Noel in fifth and sixth grade, an average of four would get to play in seventh and eighth grade, he said.
Superintendent Mark Stanton asked it if would be possible to piggyback the program on an after-school program.
Bergen said it would be, but gym space would still be a problem.
Woods said, "There's people out there that don't fit in, and we need them to fit in with us."
Smith asked about other schools in the Big 8 Conference.
Bergen said its seventh- and eighth-grade programs are all connected to youth programs.
The board took no action on the program.
Also, the board had a lengthy discussion on whether schools should be contacting families in the case that a student is quarantined by the health department due to exposure to covid-19.
Assistant Superintendent Joy Hardridge said, last year, the schools made a courtesy call before the health department called, and there had been a discussion about not doing that this year. She added that parents were more likely to answer the phone if the school called than if the health department called.
Board member Andy McClain said phone calls are not the staff's job.
Woods agreed. "We don't quarantine," he said.
Parish said two of his children were supposed to be quarantined and he did not receive notice from the health department on one child until right before they were to be released and never received notice on the other child.
Hardridge explained that when there is a positive case, the school district sends the health department a list of close contacts and the health department sends back a list of the students who are to be quarantined.
Board members asked what the school does if a student who is supposed to be quarantined comes to school.
Hardridge said the school calls the parents, as they may not have been notified by the health department.
Tracy Allman, a nurse at the high school, said she saw the meeting via video at her home and came to the meeting to address the topic.
"I understand the frustration. It's just not as easy a process as it would appear," she said.
She explained that it takes the health department time to research each case and, if it receives 100 cases in one day, it cannot get the results by 8 a.m. the next day.
Hardridge said elementary schools have found it is easier to go ahead and make the calls because then they have fewer calls to make the next day.
Anderson Middle School principal Troy Gray said his staff reaches out to families to see if they need anything during quarantine, such as a Chromebook.
McClain suggested the board leave the decision to the individual schools, and the board moved on.
Director of operations Will Gordon requested permission to seek bids for artificial turf for the baseball and softball fields.
Bergen said that artificial turf for baseball and softball is becoming more popular and that the turf on the football field has been a tremendous upgrade. He said the school district would have more opportunities for hosting and could have more home games because, when other schools' fields are wet, turf fields can be played on right after it rains.
Gordon said the downside is the cost, as the turf has a lifespan of eight to 10 years. Bergen said maintaining the current fields costs about $10,000 per year with seed, dirt and sand.
The board approved the request to seek bids.
Renee Denton of Freeman Neosho Hospital gave a presentation on telemedicine. She said, in the next two months, Freeman will place a unit at the high school and then slowly roll out units to all the schools. Freeman has received approval for a grant that will make this possible, she said. She said she is hopeful that by March of next year there will be a telemedicine unit in all the schools.
The unit allows the school nurse to meet with a provider via video, and a parent or grandparent may also attend via video. The nurse uses tools to show the provider inside the child's ears, nose and throat and to listen to their heart and lungs. The goal is to allow the student to return to class if the illness is not serious and to allow parents to remain at work or wherever they need to be, Denton said.