Littlefork-Big Falls School will not accept any additional students this year.
The L-BF School Board Wednesday passed a resolution that the district will not accept applications for enrollment under the Enrollment Options Program from any student who has not complied with the Jan. 15 application timeline.
With students returning to the building Sept. 8 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resolution was created because the school is currently experiencing limited resources that create the need for capacity restrictions for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students.
“(The resolution) keeps enrollment at maximum for the space we have,” Superintendent Jamie Wendt told The Journal.
Wendt said seats of L-BF students, who are choosing distance learning as an option, will not be filled.
“They're our enrolled students,” she said.
Following Wednesday's board meeting, which included approval of the school's reopening plan, Wendt said she felt confident about procedures in place to welcome students back to the school in just a few weeks.
“It's going to be fluid, and will change as guidelines change,” Wendt said of the plan. “I think it's very clear what our procedures are going to be.”
The board in July approved a contract with the Institute for Environmental Assessment Inc., or IEA, out of Virginia, Minn., that provided a support team specifically selected to meet the district's consulting needs to develop the plan. Wendt said the contract gives district officials and families piece of mind that plans moving forward are provided by professionals.
The Minnesota Safe Learning Plan for 2020-2021 outlines five goals that L-BF is dedicated to working toward:
- Prioritize the safety of students and staff
- Prioritize in-person learning, especially for younger learners
- Consider infectiousness and transmission risk among different ages
- Support planning, while permitting flexibility for districts
- Take into account disease prevalence at a local level
A breakdown of each goal can be found in the plan on the district's website.
"Rooms are set up and we're ready to go," Wendt said. "If people have questions, we encourage them to call the school."
Other business
Wendt informed the board Wednesday Pam Josephson, the district's business manager, will retire at the end of August.
"She has had to train in two superintendents during her time here in addition to her own duties," Wendt said. "I can’t thank her enough for all she has done."
The superintendent also expressed gratitude to several staff including:
- Frank Hand, IT director, for having a technology vision for many years that has prepared staff and students for what is currently happening in the educational system.
- Custodial staff for jumping in after learning what the school's plan could be, and making sure rooms are set up and cleaned out of excess furniture.
- The staff who came in during their time off to go through many documents and case studies.
Also Wednesday, the board:
- Approved a contract for school nurse Laura Zika, who will now be on site five days a week. She was only at the school four days a week previously.
- Approved the hire of a long-term substitute teacher
- Increased hours of April Nelson, Amber Estabrooks and Kristi Kennedy
- Approved the hire of bus monitors
- Approved the pay rate of teacher substitutes at $120 per day, effective Sept. 8
