Thief River Falls ISD #564

October 30th- Community Prowler Report

TRF Families,

Well...it was an October whirlwind.... you agree?? And now it seems we're moving into our cold months a bit earlier than we would have liked. I hope you and your family are doing well and you're finding time to play games, laugh and enjoy each other. Now, more than ever, we have to search for some happiness. Maybe start a Family Game Night. Keep it going all winter... something everyone will look forward to and keep your home happy and healthy! But don't invite your friends and neighbors unless you can social distance! :)

Besides hoping to make you smile, I'd like to update you on some COVID information. I'll give you the quick version, in case you don't want to read more than you have to, and then explain in more detail below:

***Because our numbers of IN SCHOOL positive cases remain low, we have decided to stay the course and keep our learning model the same... for now. Nothing changes. But know this... we don't take this decision lightly... we understand that some will appreciate this decision and others will question it! We hear you. I can only promise you that we'll do our best to monitor the in-school numbers very closely and consider a change if we see the numbers rise.

***Since Sept. 8th, we've had only 5 positive "student" cases and 8 positive "staff" cases. This is a low in-school case count. However, as you may know, it only takes a few positive cases to define an "outbreak" in schools, where we may have to change models. Because of this, we will continue to monitor our in-school cases closely. Things could still change quickly, so please make sure to have a Plan B in place in the event we have to change.

Want some more details? Read on...

Despite the fact that school looks different for students and staff, we’ve been fortunate that we’ve been able to maintain our current base model for as long as we have. We’ve nearly made it through Quarter 1 and have not had to change models! We're thankful for that!

However, the rising COVID case numbers in our county is concerning. Today's 14 day Case Rate is 39.66 and it seems to be rising. This number is important to us, but like I've said many times before, it's not the only thing we consider. Yesterday, during our Regional Team meeting, we chatted with the Minnesota Dept. of Health about other indicators. In an effort to be as transparent as possible, I thought you might like to see some of the discussion....

1. What is the current 14 day case rate? 39.44

2. How many cases have you had in your schools since the beginning of the year? 5 positive "student" cases and 8 positive "staff "cases. We are very proud of those low numbers.

3. Have you been able to control it? Yes... when we have a positive case, we contact trace and ask those close contacts to stay home. It's been working. It seems like it's more in the community... many seem to be parents.... but they are quarantining their kids and keeping them out of school. We're thankful for that.

4. Are you having any trouble with keeping areas clean? No.. our custodial staff has done a great job keeping our spaces clean, sanitized and disinfected.

5. How many positive cases do you have right now in your schools? 3... and they are all at home.

6. What are you hearing from your community? I think it's about 50/50. We've been hearing from more and more elementary families. Many of those elementary families want us to stay in person... however, just as many of those elementary families are very concerned. The main concern is the number of students in the building at one time and the inability to social distance when in person.

7. What model are you in for secondary? Hybrid. But we just switched to an A/B model and that has went well. It's just so much better for our students, staff and families. More students are able to be in school and teachers have more time for follow up with students who need the additional support. It's been a good move.

**In an effort to get complete clarification, I asked MDH... if the county number went up to 60 or 70 would that change anything?" They replied, "only if your in-school numbers started to rise." That was good clarification for our team.

In addition to our Regional Team meeting, our COVID team met to discuss our options. This COVID Team consisted of the following people:

Elementary Principal Rep
Secondary Principal Rep
Two School Board Reps
Student Rep
Teacher Rep - absent
Public Health Rep
District Nurse
Activities Rep

The COVID Team essentially talked about the same questions above. We reviewed all the questions and concerns we've gotten from community members, and then discussed possible scenarios for which to change. It was a good meeting and the group came to a consensus on a decision. After the meeting, each school board member was updated and had the opportunity to provide feedback.

Once all of those conversations happened, a decision was made to stay the course and stay in our current model. We are committed to keeping our students in school... for as long as we can, and will continue to monitor the numbers closely.

We are thankful to have options for our families. If the rising County Case Number Rate has you concerned, you can opt for our Family Flex Option. We understand that and are thankful that this is an option for our families. We are part of the same community, have a common goal, and understand that it "takes a village".

Please help us to keep our students and staff safe by practicing social distancing, hand washing and mask wearing.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions, concerns or need clarification.

In Partnership,

Donita Stepan

Superintendent - TRF #564

donita.stepan@myprowler.org

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Resources: Please see below for all of the resources we use to help us make COVID related decisions.

Guidelines regarding Events and Facility Management

MDE Guidance for MN Schools - updated Oct 8

COVID Decision Tree

MN Safe Learning - updated 10/30/2020