EM schools now able to use new gym, weight room and band room
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
ELK MOUND — Students and staff in the Elk Mound school district are now able to use the new middle school gymnasium and the new high school weight room and band room.
Construction on the referendum projects is now entering Phase 2, said Eric Wright, district administrator, during his report on construction progress for the Elk Mound Board of Education’s January 17 meeting.
Demolition will now begin on the old middle school gym, the old weight room and on the boys’ team room at the high school, he said.
Voters in the Elk Mound school district approved a $15 million referendum question in April of 2020 with 1,045 “yes” votes to 570 “no” votes.
The referendum projects include safety and security updates at all three schools; STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) classroom updates (woodworking and metal shops); building systems that will include roofs and boilers at all three schools as well as Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) updates; library improvements; a new high school band room; a new middle school gymnasium; remodeling the existing middle school gymnasium into a classroom; updating the high school locker rooms; athletic field improvements; and extending the weight room.
COVID testing
The on-site COVID-19 testing is up and running in the Elk Mound school district, Wright said.
The testing site is only staffed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he said.
And just like every other school district in the state, Elk Mound has zero antigen tests for COVID-19, Wright said.
If a student tests positive for COVID, he or she must stay out of school for five days and then can return to school but must wear a mask for the next five days, he said.
If there is a positive case of COVID-19 in a household, but the student has no symptoms and tests negative, the student can come to school, Wright said.
The days when students are tested to see if they can come to school after an exposure to the virus used to be days one, four and seven, he said.
With the antigen tests, students will be tested on days one, three and five, Wright said.
The number of cases of COVID-19 in the Elk Mound school district is higher “but everyone is dealing with it,” he said.
As long as the school district can continue to find substitute teachers, food service workers and bus drivers, school will remain open, Wright said.
Open enrollment
Also at the January 17 meeting, the Elk Mound school board approved the openings available for open enrollment.
Regular education spaces are unrestricted for pre-school and kindergarten.
First and second grade have 25 spaces available for open enrollment.
Third grade has 15 spaces, and fourth grade has 10 spaces.
Fifth grade has 16 spaces available, and sixth grade has 17 spaces available.
Seventh grade has 32 spaces available, and eighth grade has 19 spaces available.
Ninth grade has 28 spaces available, and tenth grade has 40 spaces.
Eleventh grade has 10 spaces available, and twelfth grade has 40 spaces.
Special education has one space available in early childhood and one space available at the middle school, while middle school/high school speech has two spaces available.
All other areas of special education have zero spaces available.
Residents do not count toward the open enrollment numbers, and if a family moves into the district with a student who needs special education services, the student is automatically accepted into the Elk Mound system, Wright noted.
State law determines how available spaces are determined, he noted.
Other business
In other business, the Elk Mound Board of Education:
• Approved course fees for the 2022-2023 school year. The only changes were new fees added for new classes in which students can take home a finished product or consume a product, such as cabinet making and food science.
• Approved the calendar for the 2022-2023 school year. The first day of school will be August 29. There will be no spring break, but there will be a mid-winter break in February, a one-day break in March, and a four-day weekend in April with Good Friday and the Monday following Easter as a break.
• Approved the safety drill as completed per ACT 143.
• Approved one early-graduation request.