Daly Elementary School in Fayette will transition to online learning starting Tuesday, which will last through the end of November. The decision was announced Sunday in an email to parents. Classes for the middle and high schools will remain in person. The district hopes to resume in-person classes on Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Until this point, the district has been committed to in-person learning, despite teacher and substitute shortages due to quarantine procedures. However, in the email, District Superintendent Jill Wiseman explained that last week an elementary school staff member tested positive for COVID-19. At least two students also tested positive during the weekend. “This has caused a significant impact on the number of staff and students required to quarantine due to close contact. It is simply not now possible to meet the needs of the students with onsite learning,” wrote Mrs. Wiseman. 

“We recognize the extra burden this shift will create for some families, however, we feel it is necessary to reduce the potential of spread within the school environment and to reduce the risk of exposure to our staff, students, and their families.”

Daly Elementary is now at Red Level, which means that all learning will be done remotely. Students in Pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade will begin remote learning on Wednesday. The district employs a four-day schedule and school is not in session on Mondays. On Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. parents may pick up items for remote learning via a drive-through. “We will follow the District Schedule for Class Zoom/Google Meet Sessions that was distributed at the beginning of the school year,” said Supt. Wiseman.

Updates regarding food service are due to be announced Monday.

The middle and high schools are sticking to plans to continue in-person learning as long as attendance stays above 80 percent. As of Wednesday, Nov. 11, district attendance sat at 83.4% with eight staff members and 51 students in quarantine. Even days before it was decided that Daly would transition to online learning, Mrs. Wiseman explained that the district has “seen an increase in community spread,” and those in quarantine were likely exposed outside of school, mostly by family.

A new quarantine procedure was rolled out last week by Missouri Gov. Mike Parson which seems to provide an incentive to districts that adopt mask-wearing policies. According to Gov. Parson “proper mask-wearing” may now prevent individuals from being identified as close contacts in K-12 schools that have implemented a mask mandate. This means that if both individuals at school – the person diagnosed with COVID-19, and the person exposed to the positive case – have on masks and are wearing them correctly, the individual exposed does not need to quarantine.

“We believe this change will lead to more schools encouraging proper mask usage, helping to further protect students and educators from the spread of the virus,” Gov. Parson said.

The new rules would allow for more students and teachers to remain in the classroom even in the event of a positive case as long as all involved were wearing masks and do not show symptoms.

Supt. Wiseman explained that while all teachers and staff in the district are required to wear masks, students are not. She said that she has observed a decrease in mask-wearing by students since the start of the school year. The school board is expected to take up the matter at its monthly meeting on Wednesday.

Last week the district moved from Green Level to Yellow due to the recent surge in quarantined staff and students. In a letter to parents on Friday from Supt. Wiseman and school nurse Kelly Beeler said the amount of staff on quarantine has increased from 3.2% the week before, to 10.8%. “We are closely monitoring this situation with our local public health department as we also monitor community spread,” the letter stated.

It went on to explain that Fayette will remain at Yellow level for this week, which involves the implementation of increased mitigation measures throughout the district. “Please continue to be vigilant for signs and symptoms of COVID and keep students home and contact your medical provider for guidance if they are exhibiting any symptoms. We appreciate your communication with us as we work to make the best decisions possible for the safety of our students and staff.”

Like all districts, Fayette is dealing with a shortage of substitute teachers, which has been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic. “We did get a surge this week of staff in quarantine which definitely made the sub shortage more evident,” Mrs. Wiseman said. “It is our intention to stay in seat unless our attendance drops below 80% or we are unable to manage coverage for our staff.”

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education implemented a program in the early fall that widened the population of potential applicants and implemented changes to allow for quicker training. The department also eased the financial burden to become a substitute teacher, but that ended Nov. 4. The Fayette Board of Education, however, in its October meeting gave unanimous approval for a plan to reimburse new substitute teachers for training fees.

In order to qualify as a substitute teacher, an interested person who has not already earned 60 hours of college credit, must enroll in a 20-hour training course. The cost to do so is $175. There is also an application fee of $50. Under the district’s new plan, any new substitute teacher who works at least 10 days in the classroom will qualify for the reimbursement, totaling $225.

In September the board voted to increase pay for substitute teachers from $70 to $75 per day. It also increased the long-term rate paid to substitute teachers to $105 per day. The increase is expected to cost the district an additional $3,000 to $4,000 a year.