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‘We will go as you go’: ED hears plea from superintendent about safety
EAST DUBUQUE–The East Dubuque School Board met and reviewed the district’s COVID plans during a meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19.
Superintendent TJ Potts made one last plea to the community before the school year got underway.
“We are a microcosm of you,” said Potts. “We will go as you go. If our families are being consistent about wearing masks and social distancing and modeling that for their kids and telling them the importance of that and we show them that at school, then I feel confident about what we will be able to do. If all that work is only being done at school, then we are going to struggle.”
East Dubuque officials discussed the difficulty that they have had to prepare the school district and the staff for the upcoming year.
“To be frankly honest, yesterday morning was one of the toughest mornings that I have had as an administrator,” said East Dubuque junior high/high school principal Darren Sirianni. “Trying to wrap our brains around what we were doing and trying to get everybody on that same track. It was a challenge. By 2:30 or 3, I felt good about where we were. The teamwork I have seen by our staff over the past few days has been phenomenal.”
“Darren summarized everything we have felt at times recently,” said Potts. “There have been times when we just want to throw our hands up and there have been a few districts that have done that. We feel confident about what we are doing. We are ready to move forward.”
Other business
The board also:
•hired Jody Kearney as a paraprofessional.
•hired Missy Schueller as a paraprofessional.
•hired Nicole Meyer as first-grade teacher.
•hired Liam Knudson as third-grade teacher.
•hired Jaidyn Brooks as paraprofessional.
•hired Cheryle Cooley as paraprofessional.
•hired Coel Hofland as remote learning teacher.
•hired Katelyn Mapes as paraprofessional.
•hired Jordan Durdan as junior varsity girls basketball coach.
•accepted the resignation of Linda Welp, kitchen staff.
•accepted the resignation of Lisa Dayton, paraprofessional.
•approved the Head Start lease agreement for the upcoming school year.