GLASGOW — The Glasgow School Board met in regular session Monday evening. Items on the agenda include the approval of several new positions, such as a Human Resources Director, a certified school psychologist intern, and a speech-language pathology assistant.
A majority of the meeting was spent updating the district’s Covid Operation Plan. As it stands, Glasgow is continuing to monitor positive cases on a week-by-week basis, according to Chad Muhlenkamp, Director of Facilities & Pupil Personnel.
“We’re assessing our numbers every week on Thursday,” he says. “We are also consulting with the health department, looking at where we are as a community, and making a determination whether or not we need to make masks mandatory or optional the following week.”
Glasgow schools just experienced one of their best weeks, in regards to Covid-19 cases. A total of four students and only one teacher tested positive for the virus.
The district health department has began taking a step backward as far as their involvement in school’s response to positive cases and allowing the schools to take on more responsibility in how they handle the virus.
“We’re two years into it,” Muhlenkamp says. “People kind of know what they need to do. We’re relying on people to make the right choices because we’re far enough into this pandemic that people should know if they’re sick, they should stay home and monitor their health.”
The other major item on the agenda was an update to the construction of the new South Green Elementary School. The ground has officially been broken and dirt is being relocated. Students and staff are also having to enter through the rear entrance of the current building while the project commences.
“We’re hoping that within a short amount of time we’re going to start seeing more things moving forward,” Muhlenkamp says. “Right now it’s a little bit slow just getting the dirt moved but we’ve had some great weather, right now, get a lot of that done.”
Starting a construction project in the winter months can always be a challenge, according to Chad Muhlenkamp. The freeze and thaw cycle of moisture on the ground can cause instability in the foundation. But Glasgow has received good meteorological fortune since breaking ground on the new building and, although it’s early, the project seems to be moving on schedule.
“We’re optimistic and excited about the schedule they are on and what we’re going to be seeing in the near future,” he says. “When we get some concrete on the ground, we could really start to see some things happen.”
