Greenwood Leflore Consolidated School District students will not return to in-person classes on Jan. 5 as was tentatively scheduled.
Instead, virtual instruction will continue, and the school board will revisit its reopening plan three weeks after the start of the new year.
At a special called meeting Friday, Dr. Mary Brown, the district’s superintendent, reviewed the reopening schedule and the current state of COVID-19 in the county.
She then recommended that they return to this discussion later in January, saying that the cases are increasing in Leflore County and elsewhere.
“Although our students are not in the physical buildings, the district is still receiving reports of faculty and staff who have either tested positive or have come into direct contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19,” Brown said. “Out of an abundance of caution, I am recommending that students continue receiving instruction virtually in an effort to ensure faculty and staff time to quarantine after the holiday break. I am also recommending we revisit the return to school option on or around Jan. 19.”
The board members had no objections.
Board President Samantha Milton referred to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mississippi Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs and the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, who have predicted a spike in cases after the holiday season.
According to questionnaire results released earlier this month, only about 15% of the families with students in the district said that they would be willing to send their children to any kind of in-person learning in January.
The district had announced in October that it planned to implement a hybrid schedule, combining both in-person and distance learning, at the start of 2021.
In other business:
• The board approved access for the show “Women of the Movement” to utilize the Davis Elementary parking lot, cafeteria, gymnasium and auditorium for the production during filming.
The ABC show is set to begin filming its first season on Jan. 11 in Greenwood.
The season, which includes six episodes, will tell the story of the murder of Emmett Till and the activism of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
Emmett Till, a Black 14-year-old from Chicago, was tortured and killed in 1955 after whistling at a white woman at Bryant Grocery and Meat Market in Money. Two white men were acquitted of charges in his death by an all-white jury, but they later admitted in a magazine interview that they had killed him. Published photos from the open-casket funeral are often credited with spurring the civil rights movement.
Mobley remained a civil rights activist in honor of her son for the rest of her life. She died in 2003.
The board voted unanimously to allow the production to use the facilities after Brown explained that its presence will not disrupt the faculty and staff.
• The board briefly discussed hazard pay for those district employees who had to work and continue to work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Board member Dr. Ro’Shaun Bailey said this would be specifically important for such staff as bus drivers, maintenance personnel, custodians, cafeteria staff and security. Milton agreed.
The board’s attorney, Kelvin Pulley, said he would look into the possibility of this and return to the board with more information.
The Leflore County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to give a one-time allotment of $500 in hazard pay for county employees who have worked during the pandemic. Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams reported Friday that state authorities had told her that the extra pay cannot be given to city employees because they have no such clauses in their contracts.
• The board approved the use of the Greenwood High School gymnasium for a Christmas toy drive on Sunday conducted by Denetrice Gray, the owner of Tasty Sipz, and her daughter, Tia, pending their acquisition of proper insurance. The insurance was later provided Friday afternoon, Denetrice Gray said.
• Contact Adam Bakst at 581-7233 or abakst@gwcommonwealth.com. On Twitter at @AdamBakst_GWCW.
