Masks will remain optional in SAD 4

GUILFORD — Masks will stay optional for students in SAD 4 in accordance with the wishes of their parents or/guardians. Both district schools are nearing the end of two weeks of all-remote learning, with students scheduled to return on Monday, Sept. 20.

During a monthly school board meeting on Sept. 14 in the Piscataquis Community Elementary School cafeteria, a motion to maintain a mandate for optional masking was approved via an 8-7 vote. Per the weighted tabulation of the six district communities, the total was 487 to 386 in favor of keeping masks optional, leaving the district’s Safe Return to School Plan unchanged.

“As I said at our emergency meeting [on Sept. 2], this is something we will probably be discussing at every meeting if not more frequently,” Board Chairperson Niki Fortier said. She said she and Superintendent Kelly MacFadyen are in near daily communication about COVID-19 case numbers, and an emergency school board meeting can be called if needed prior to the regular sessions on the second Tuesday of the month.

MacFadyen said the original return plan presented last month would have required universal masking under the two higher designations of the community transmission scale. This is made up of, from less to more severe, blue, yellow, orange and red colors to indicate the severity of positive COVID-19 cases in Maine’s 16 counties. 

The SAD 4 plan was amended in August to change mask requirements under the two higher levels of the community transmission scale from mandatory to optional.

The superintendent said school began on Sept. 1 and soon after the district experienced a surge. “We have had approximately 35 positive cases since school started, we have quarantined about 200 people — students and staff,” she said. 

The number of cases is nearly evenly divided with 18 at Piscatauqis Community Secondary School and 17 at PCES, District Nurse Wendy Viera said. “We had 25 total last year through the whole year,” she said.

When asked, Viera said last year masking was mandatory. There also were fewer people in the building with some students learning remotely and 6-foot social distancing parameters were in place.

On Friday, Sept. 3, the decision was made to go to remote learning for the ensuing two weeks. MacFadyen said when the buildings reopen, those inside will be spaced farther apart than before, such as during lunch, which is where some cases were transferred per contract tracing information.

“Our high level of quarantine will be reduced when we return,” MacFadyen said. She said the district had not yet had the chance to conduct a full cycle of pool testing.

“I do expect that number of students quarantining to drop,” Viera said with pool testing up and running. She said 28 had signed up initially but now there are 150 students and 75 staff who are going to take part and the hope is, the number of participants in the weekly anonymous program will continue to increase.

“The idea is we are going to pick up a positive or a potential positive before the symptoms show,” Viera said. She said if a positive reading is found among the participants’ swabs, then they are retested to determine the positive case so appropriate action can be taken.

In other business, the board approved an engineering study by Haley Ward for the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system at PCES. The $23,600 will come from the renovation reserve fund.

MacFadyen said HVAC bids have been sought but contractors won’t formally agree to anything until an engineering study is in place. 

She said Haley Ward “is the only firm that’s available in the time that we need.” The superintendent said with school districts in Maine and across the nation having various COVID-19 relief funds, contractors are in high demand for health-related improvements.

The school board also approved the purchase of a $19,797 sign from Bangor Neon Signs with the funds also coming from the renovation reserve fund. The new sign will replace the setup on Route 15.

“In a nutshell, the committee that researched that sign tried to do it as economically as possible,” MacFadyen said. “The sign that we got met our budget but not our needs.”

PCSS Principal John Keane said the new sign can be updated from the school via cellphone tower, so the signal should not be blocked by trees and hindered by weather as had happened before. The new sign will also fit in the existing frame.

“He’s got them all over the place and they work fine,” Keane said about Bangor Neon Signs.

Fortier said on Aug. 26 the regional high school committee met at PCES. She said SAD 4 was again joined by representatives from SAD 46 in Dexter, and the Milo-based SAD 41 as well as RSU 64 of Corinth. These district officials have recently expressed interest in learning more about the comprehensive institution.

If approved by the Maine Department of Education, a regional institution would be built with state funds to offer a number of academic and vocational programs. There are numerous steps still to go in the project, including formal votes down the road by residents of the individual districts on joining. 

Fortier said with the four districts, the proposed high school would have an enrollment of about 900.

“The two things we are really trying to lock in now are the administration structure and the governance structure,” she said. These need to be in place before the MDOE works with the local group on the site selection process.

The SAD 4 chairperson said the governance of the school would not fall under an existing RSU or SAD and currently there is no legislation for an RSU to oversee just a secondary school so special legislation would need to be passed. Rep. Paul Stearns, R-Guilford — who is a retired SAD 4 superintendent — has put in a placeholder so this legislation can be discussed during upcoming work sessions in Augusta, and Sen. Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, is also involved.

Fortier said the comprehensive high school board could have a rotating chair and vice chair. Each community represented may have one director and there could be a one-person, one-vote system rather than having votes be weighted.

In his report, Keane thanked PCSS staff for the quick turnaround of in-person to remote learning made earlier in the month.

In his written report Keane included an update from Athletic Director Joe Gallant on the forthcoming lights and soccer schedule, which will resume when students return to the building. Gallant said until the lighting system is ready all soccer games set to be played at night will instead begin at 4 p.m., unless on Saturday and then 1 p.m. will be the start time.

“I have been informed that the work will begin on Sept. 20 for the installation of the lights,” Gallant wrote. “The weather will play a huge factor going forward. I do not know how long this process will take as the individual doing this work is taking time out of his busy scheduling to make this happen. When they are up and running, adjustments to the schedule will happen as needed.”