FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 board of directors voted 11-2 at a special meeting Tuesday night to amend the district’s COVID-19 isolation procedures.

The revised policy institutes different isolation periods for the elementary schools in Farmington, New Sharon and Wilton, and the middle school and Mt. Blue Campus, both in Farmington.

The amendment was described by multiple board members as a “compromise.” Board Chairwoman Carol Coles of Starks, called the decision “one of the most difficult that I think we faced as a board.”

Elementary students who test positive for COVID-19 and isolate are offered the option of returning to classrooms after day five if their symptoms are improving. However, they must wear masks while outside for recess, for five more days. Additionally, elementary school students returning from isolation are required to stay at least 3 feet from others while eating.

Students at Mt. Blue Middle School and the Mt. Blue Campus, which includes Mt. Blue High School and Foster Career and Technical Education Center, must isolate for 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19.

The amendment comes after the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention and the Maine Department of Education updated their COVID-19 guidance, which offered school districts the options of a 10-day isolation or five-day isolation with the aforementioned added stipulations.

Initially, RSU 9’s administration was recommending the 10-day isolation across the district due to the added “pressure” it would put on staff members to enforce the five-day stipulations and an inability to maintain the privacy of COVID-19 positive students, who could potentially be alienated by peers, Superintendent Chris Elkington said at the board’s Jan. 25 meeting.

Nearing Tuesday’s meeting, RSU 9 administration instead recommended the board institute separate procedures for the elementary, middle and high schools in order to meet varying needs of the students and staff in the different grades.

Elkington said there were multiple factors why the district was taking a “two-tiered approach,” and  recommended to allow only pre-kindergarten through grade five to return to school after day five of isolation, which are as follows:

• There is more certainty that the elementary schools can successfully enforce masking outside and 3-foot distancing during mealtimes.

• Amid staff shortages, there are more staffing abilities and capacity to enforce these measures at the elementary schools than at the middle and high schools.

• Prekindergarten through grade five students have a greater need to be in school because “it’s much more difficult (for elementary students) to go online” than it is for older students.

Though the vote was nearly unanimous, board members were torn, contemplating the necessity of meeting students’ social-emotional and educational needs while not adding more to staff members’ already full plates.

Director Betsey Hyde of Temple said she was concerned about students, particularly high school juniors and seniors, falling behind. She said she’s received messages from students and parents in the district with these same concerns, including their children not being able to graduate because they are behind on credits due to all the quarantining or isolating thus far.

Additionally, Hyde said parents have told her that “‘we’re going to stop testing. We’re just going to send our kids to school'” if they have to isolate for 10 days.

Director Kirk Doyle of Farmington raised similar concerns about children not being in school and the subsequent impact on social-emotional and educational needs.

Though they both acknowledged the added responsibilities for staff, they expressed concerns about making any students isolate for 10 days and effectively miss two weeks of school. They were in favor of the five-day option for the entire district.

Director J. Wayne Kinney of Farmington said, “The five-and-five plan is, in general, more difficult for everyone,” and then asked for confirmation.

Director of Curriculum Laura Columbia, who oversees the district’s COVID procedures, said it depends. It will be difficult for staff to enforce the five-and-five stipulations, but “it’s also difficult for teachers to plan when kids are out.”

“There’s lots of different levels of difficulty for either option,” she said.

“It definitely is, all around, a ‘pick your poison,'” Kinney responded.

Director Gloria McGraw of Farmington thought the two-tiered approach was “kind of an exciting compromise, and I think it’s short term.” She made the motion to approve the administration’s recommendation. However, discussion continued another 20 minutes.

School nurses Janneke Strickland and Jesstine Meader were present to address the board, answer questions and offer their stance on the decision.

Ahead of the meeting, the nursing staff sent a collective letter to directors stating they were in favor of the 10-day isolation period. Their preference was because of the potential alienation and bullying that could occur because outdoor masking and distancing would effectively identify which students had tested positive for COVID-19. They were also concerned about the shorter isolation periods adding further stress to the nursing team and overall staff.

However when Strickland addressed the board, she explained that nurses were “not aware that there was going to be a different recommendation.”

Strickland said she “can see why it makes sense” to recommend the two-tiered approach, however, her concerns about the social-emotional impacts of sacrificing the privacy of students who tested positive for COVID-19 still stand.

“We’re trying to balance the concern between social-emotional well-being and progress being made,” Strickland said after the meeting. “There’s not going to be one option that’s right.”

Voting for the motion were: Vice Chairwoman Debbie Smith of Weld, Gwen Doak of Wilton, Doyle, Doug Dunlap of Farmington, Scott Erb of Farmington, Cherieann Harrison of Wilton, Hyde, Libby Kaut of New Sharon, McGraw, Lisa Park-Laflin of New Vineyard, and Mark Prentiss of Industry.

 Chairwoman Coles of Starks and Kinney opposed the motion.

Directors Joshua Robbins of Vienna, Dorothy “Dee” Robinson of Chesterville and Irv Faunce of Wilton were not at the meeting.

Within the motion, directors gave Elkington the authority to institute a universal five-day isolation period, with stipulations, if the district has less than 45 weekly cases. If the district does not reach that point in the next month, the isolation procedures will be addressed again at the board’s March 8 meeting.

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