Dayton School board report for January

DAYTON-The Dayton School District kicked off the second semester of the school year on Jan. 21. Report cards will be mailed home for middle and high school students on Jan. 27 and for elementary school students on Jan. 26.

Dayton School District Superintendent Guy Strot provided an update about the elementary school at the school board meeting last week.

He reported challenges were keeping some elementary classrooms open during the two weeks after Christmas break because some of the staff were in quarantine for COVID-19, he said.

"At one point, we had four teachers out, either due to positive tests or quarantine," he said. "Everyone is back at school right now. Let's hope that keeps up."

Strot said teachers and support staff are encouraged to call the Columbia County Department of Public Health to request the COVID-19 vaccine.

Strot also talked about his recommendation to change middle and high school students' dismissal time to 2 p.m. Students are currently released from school at 12:30 p.m. with the option of going home or staying in school until 2 p.m. to work with a teacher on campus.

He based his recommendation on discussions with staff from the public health department and parents' comments. He is also factoring in data collected showing students' grades are slipping.

He will defer to MS/HS Principal Kristina Brown to what bell schedule will be used when the dismissal time moves to 2 p.m. The change will take place no sooner than Feb. 15. The board approved the change.

Strot discussed how Governor Jay Inslee's recently released plan for recovery from COVID-19 would impact the athletic program. As part of the Southeast region, Columbia County is in Phase 1 of the plan and Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, and Yakima counties.

"Until we are in Phase 2, we can't participate in any games," Strot told the board.

"I have no doubt Columbia County will be ready to move to Phase 2," he said. "I am unsure about the other counties, and we all have to move as a group."

He said the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has indicated that a sports season should not be started unless it can be played in its entirety. The fall sports program had been on track to begin on Feb. 1.

There have been many planned and unplanned expenditures incurred by the District during the COVID-19 situation. Strot said the District would receive additional CARES Act funding that will support student safety and academics.

Business Manager Paula Moisio said the District expects to get four times the amount received in 2020. The District is also waiting for a claim to be processed through FEMA.

MS/HS Principal Kristina Brown said the ASB officers have met with ASB officers at the Waitsburg School District, along with Bo Stevenson and Ross Hamann, to begin the process of creating and choosing mock-up logos for the DW Combine Athletic Program mascot. They will meet again on Feb. 25 to review the logos before presenting the designs to both schools' student bodies for a vote.

Brown told the board last week that high school seniors are still required to perform community service projects to fulfill graduation requirements. Many ideas for senior projects are on the Internet, Pinterest, and elsewhere. They can be outdoor projects, as well, Brown said.

Emmy Kirk is a Special Education Director, contracted through ESD 112, to work in the Dayton School District. This is Kirk's first year in Dayton schools and said she had been impressed with the teaching and support staff's engagement level and flexibility in learning new teaching strategies. Fifty students are receiving Special Education services this term.

Dave Phillips and Scott Underwood provided an update about technology improvements.

Phillips said the COVID-19 situation held up the process for getting laptops into all teachers' hands, but that process is now underway.

He said the District had purchased document cameras, and teachers are using them either as a document camera or in a web camera configuration.

All students have Google Chromebooks available to them, he said.

Future projects include plans to clean up and stabilize District buildings' data access by making E-Rate network improvements. Improvements also include extending the district network and internet access out to the football facilities and incorporating the telephone into the phone system.

Phillips said new internet servers would be deployed during Spring break to maintain high technology system standards.

Teachers having issues with the District's technology are asked to reach out to the IT staff through a ticketing system. Adjustments are being made to make this system more user friendly, said Phillips.