The Board of Education held their Organizational and Regular Board Meeting on January 10, 2022 in the NAPLS Annex. During the Organizational Meeting, Debbie Kalinosky was elected Board President for 2022 and Paul Naumoff was elected Board Vice-President. The board established the meeting calendar for the year and determined board liaison roles. 

During the Regular Meeting, Superintendent Sawyers shared a safety and health update and adopted an updated Board Resolution to incorporate updated isolation and quarantine recommendations received during winter recess from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and Franklin County Public Health (FCPH).

View the agenda. 

View the meeting below.  

View the presentation

Board Resolution January 10, 2022

Whereas, the New Albany-Plain Local Schools Board of Education continues to believe in-person education is in the best academic and developmental interests of students; and,

Whereas, since our first day of school on August 19, 2021 for the 2021-22 school year, the administration has regularly provided school related pandemic information and data to Board of Education members and our community; and,

Whereas, our school district has the right to exclude any student, staff member or visitor demonstrating symptoms or testing positive for the coronavirus while Franklin County Public Health (FCPH) retains the authority to issue isolation and quarantine orders under Ohio law;

Whereas, House Bill 244 prohibits public schools and universities from requiring vaccines authorized for emergency use by the FDA; prohibits public schools and universities from discriminating against individuals who have not received such a vaccine, including a prohibition against excluding such unvaccinated individuals from activities offered to vaccinated individuals; and stipulates the authority of the Ohio Department of Health over matters of quarantine and isolation; and,

Whereas, the Ohio Department of Health issued voluntary uniform guidance for Ohio’s schools that aims to keep asymptomatic children at school;

Now Therefore Be It Resolved, the New Albany-Plain Local School District Board of Education hereby resolves that in order to continue to keep students in school and staff at work as much as possible, the following shall become effective January 11, 2022 unless otherwise ordered:

• In accordance with Ohio Revised Code, any student, staff member, or visitor shall be excluded from the New Albany-Plain Local Schools campus, school related activities or events, and transportation services if any individual has tested positive for SARS CoV-2 or is symptomatic for COVID-19 until the individual receives an alternate diagnosis by a medical professional or is asymptomatic in accordance with recommendations by health officials.
  
  
• On behalf of FCPH, the school district will email information to individuals with known positive exposures on our school campus or at any school related event.
  
  
• In accordance with recommendations provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ohio Department of Health or FCPH, the decision to self-quarantine is the responsibility of the parent/guardian or staff member unless the student/staff member is symptomatic, tests positive and/or FCPH or another local health jurisdiction issues an isolation or quarantine order.
  
  
• All students and staff in grades PK-12 and visitors may voluntarily wear a mask while indoors at school or school related events unless otherwise ordered by local, state, or national authorities.  All students in Grades PK-12 and staff shall be required to wear an approved facial covering when participating in any form of school transportation in accordance with any federal order until its expiration unless otherwise exempted for a permissible reason by the administration in writing. Students, faculty or staff members, or visitors shall not be subject to discrimination, ridicule, or questioning for wearing or not wearing a facial covering on school property, unless required.
  
  
• All students, families, faculty, staff, and community members may practice social distancing and other prevention strategies, including proper hand washing/sanitizing, as self or parent directed.  
  
  
• Free at-home rapid test kits will be provided to individuals identified by the school district for administration at home by the parent/guardian or employee as long as kits are available from local or state health officials.
  
  
• Daily posting of COVID-19 data to our website dashboard remains subject to change based upon the implementation of the requirements outlined herein; and, 

Be It Further Resolved, the New Albany-Plain Local School District Board of Education directs the superintendent to implement and broadly communicate these requirements to faculty, staff, parents and community members.