Pottsgrove Prepping for Impact of Corona Virus

Although it was not on the agenda, talk inevitably turned at Tuesday night's Pottsgrove School Board meeting to preparations to deal with the impact of the corona virus sweeping the nation.

As discussion turned from Charles Nippert's lengthy treatise on the need for charter school funding reform and his views on cyber charter schools, board member Bill Parker said he had to ask.

What preparations, Parker asked, was the administration making in case Pottsgrove decided to, as other schools have, to close schools for a lengthy period of time, either because of the threat of the virus or to conduct a "deep clean" of the school?

Superintendent William Shirk replied that he had met that day with the teachers union to work out the particulars of how that might work.

For grades 6 and older, there are ways lessons could be provided at home through computers and the teachers could provide those lessons remotely.

For younger students, lessons would have to be provided largely through "packets" that they take home because "the technology stays in the school," Shirk said.

Shirk also mentioned a consideration not much raised in these discussions, the meals the schools provide to students. For low-income students, that breakfast and lunch may be the most nutritious meals of their day and without the schools to come to, they may go hungry.

Parker raised another point, the potential economic impact of the virus keeping people from fully participating in the economy, which could have a ripple effect through people's finances and their livelihoods.

He suggested that the board and administration begin considering a tax freeze, or even a tax cut in the coming budget deliberations in order to provide some relief to taxpayers.

"And then ask the townships to follow suit," Parker said.

School Board President Robert Lindgren thanks the board members for their thoughts, and offered extensive thanks to the staff and administration for the thoughtful way they have approached this potential health crisis.

He said there had been discussion with Shirk for several days about making preparations, "and we thought we would have a week or two, but it came on us a little faster than we anticipated."

Lindgren was likely referring to the announcement made earlier in the day that a health care worker and the mother of a student, and another child who was a part-time worker at Ringing Rocks Elementary School, worked with someone who had tested positive for the virus.

The mother was self-quarantining herself for 14 days, although she has shown no symptoms of the illness. The district also informed parents the mother's potential exposure occurred March 3 and the Ringing Rocks worker had not been in the building since Feb. 27.

"We will continue to be as measured, as rational, as reasoned as we can be in our approach to corona virus," he said.

Click here to read the Tweets from the meeting.