H-D, CAL cautiously remain on-site

The Hampton-Dumont and CAL Community School Districts will remain fully on-site but school officials are keeping an eye on rising COVID-19 cases in the area.

Superintendent Todd Lettow said cases within the buildings have remained low enough and without proven spread where administration felt comfortable to remain in the on-site model.

“At this point, there has never been a case that has been contact traced within the school,” he said. “Every case that’s been here at the school, they did not get the virus in school.

“What we’re doing at school is working, which is a real positive, but we know that can change at any time,” he said.

The districts began the school year in August under a hybrid model, where students attended school at buildings two days a week, learned online the other two days and used Wednesdays as a work day. In September, the districts made the move to learn fully on-site four days a week, with the understanding that students can continue to learn remotely if they choose.

An advisory committee continually analyzes the COVID situation within the schools and in Franklin County and surrounding areas and that information is used every two weeks to determine the learning model.

Lettow said the districts again elected to remain onsite from Nov. 2 to Nov. 16, with a decision for the next two weeks to made this week Cases within the area through most of October remained steady but with an increase of 70 active cases since Oct. 29 and outbreaks at surrounding school districts, Lettow said the switch to a hybrid model may need to be made at a moment’s notice.

“We wanted people to be aware that we would move to a different model if the numbers warranted that,” he said. “Our goal is to try to have that change be on Mondays but it depends when we get the information. We could change ahead of our regular announcements.”