County Line Editor
To mitigate Covid-19 risks, new ionization filtration systems have been installed in Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District buildings, superintendent Travis Anderson reported to the board of education Monday.
Characterizing the filtration systems as “state of the art,” Anderson said they also would be helpful in preventing other airborne diseases and reducing allergens in the building.
The filtration system was $71,618, Anderson told the County Line on Wednesday.
He added, “The district has the opportunity to pay for the filtration system using the GEERS (Governors Emergency Education Relief), which is part of the CARES Act funds allocated to the district due to Covid-19. This is a bipolar-ionization system that will filter air throughout the entire school building to kill bacteria, viruses, mold, and other airborne pathogens. It also can offer up to a 30 percent energy savings by reducing outdoor air intake by up to 75 percent, and is maintenance free. This is a great system that will help ensure the health and safety of everyone in the building.”
On a related note, Anderson said at the board meeting that the district was working with Scenic Bluffs Community Health Centers to offer Covid-19 vaccines to staff, possibly in late January or February. The vaccination would be optional, Anderson added, and so far, 109 of 115 staff members have indicated they would be open to getting the vaccination.
As of Monday, the district had four Covid-19 cases in the junior/senior high school, though three of those students had contracted the virus over winter break, and no cases in the elementary school. Also, the district had no active Covid-19 cases among staff.
Recently, the district canceled a basketball game to offset Covid-19 risks among students.
Other business
• Work is proceeding on a FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure Grant, a project that could lead to a new gymnasium and auditorium. The new building, which is intended to provide shelter during emergencies and could withstand an F5 tornado, would be between the high school and the football field.
So far, the project is expected to cost between $1.7 and $2 million, and if the district qualifies for“impoverished” funding, FEMA would cover 90 percent of the costs; and N-O-W, 10 percent. Otherwise, the ratio would be 75 percent FEMA expenses and 25 percent N-O-W expenses.
• Recent testing revealed that math scores had improved at Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton Elementary School and reading scores had remained at par.
At present, the state Department of Public Instruction is still requiring testing starting in mid-March, but due to shorter school days during the Covid-19 pandemic, the district will be in a time crunch, said elementary principal Gayle Luebke. Moreover, if a class unexpectedly is quarantined, it will be impossible to finish testing, she added.
Participation rate requirements are still in effect at the federal level, though not at the state level, Luebke said.
Virtual-learning students also have to be tested on site this year. Because the process involves multiple tests, scheduling could be problematic, she added.
• Football will start March 8; and volleyball, Feb. 22.
• Rather than do a gift exchange, second-grade students donated their change to the Salvation Army, amassing $186.17, Luebke said.
• Longtime paraprofessional Dawn Sletten will leave the N-O-W School District to start a new career, Anderson noted. She has served the district since March 2004.
• The district received a $1,250 grant from Walmart to replace the kiln in the art department. The grant will cover roughly half of the costs.
• The board approved a bus-driving contract for Daniel Sheehan.
• Art teacher Patricia Holte and industrial technology teacher Harvey Menn are offering a collaborative project: Holte’s 3-D and Ceramics students will design a garden sculpture that will be placed in the garden behind Spanish teacher Denise Buckbee’s classroom. It will be part metal and part plaster. After Mr. Menn’s feedback, Holte and Menn will choose the top three designs, and the committee of community members who work in the garden will choose the winning design.
