Ringgold deadlocked over decision to return to classrooms

By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com

Despite nearly an hour of debate, Ringgold School District directors remain deadlocked about bringing students back to classrooms.
The district currently utilizes a full-time remote learning model for students, which is recommended by the Pennsylvania Department of Education based on Washington County being listed in the substantial category for COVID-19 transmission rates.
Students are scheduled to return to classes Monday, but some directors felt guidance from the country’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other leading officials conflicts against the PDE’s guidelines.
Voting yes to bring students back to school were directors Maureen Ott, Gene Kennedy, Jason Gerard and Carol Flament. Voting against bringing students back to classes were directors Bill Stein, Jim Dodd, Larry Mauro and Harley Bobnar. Director Sherrie Garry was absent from the meeting.
The 4-4 tie means the district will continue to follow PDE guidance.
According to Ott, the CDC and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, say students should not be kept out of school.
“They’re safer in the school environment,” Ott said. “I’ve listened to what the experts say, and the affects of COVID on school-age children is not large.”
According to the state Department of Education, a county is considered in the substantial-transmission level if the county sees more than 100 COVID cases per 100,000 residents for a seven-day period or if the county sees more than a 10% positivity rate for a seven-day period.
If fewer than 10 new cases are reported in a county in the most recent seven-day reporting period, the county will automatically qualify as exhibiting a low-level of community transmission.
Superintendent Randall Skrinjorich was against bringing students back to class.
“There’s always conflicting guidance,” Skrinjorich said. “We’re at the apex of this virus nationally. I wouldn’t want to put our guard down at this point. My recommendation is to stay virtual following the guidance until we get in moderate. We need two consecutive weeks of being in moderate, and we haven’t even had one (week) yet.”
The decision to stay in remote learning won’t have an impact on winter sports, as the board on Wednesday approved athletes returning to practice for the remainder of December.
Voting yes to allow athletes to practice were Mauro, Kennedy, Gerard and Flament. Voting no on the motion were Dodd, Ott and Bobnar.
“I can’t understand how you can vote to not have kids in class, but you can have them practice,” Ott said.
The decision to allow practices came after Athletic Director Laura Grimm said school districts need to complete 15 practices to be eligible for competition by January. She said swimming and track and field teams have had no practices, while the boys basketball team has held three practices.
Reorganization held
The school board also held its reorganization meeting for the upcoming 2021 school year Wednesday night.
By a unanimous 8-0 vote, William Stein was chosen to return as president.
“I’d like to thank everyone to have confidence in me,” Stein said. “This is trying times for everybody.”
Flament was chosen by an 8-0 vote as first vice president and Garry was unanimously named second vice-president.
Tim Berggren will remain as district solicitor at a rate of $120 per hour.