Raider Update
A Weekly eNewsletter from Hastings Public Schools
Message from the Superintendent
Good afternoon Hastings Families,
After the school board meeting, the board and I have received multiple messages regarding the masking decision. What is clear is that individual experience, research, and beliefs have created a continuum of feelings ranging from anger and frustration to relief and happiness. Regardless of feelings, there also are still some questions surrounding masks that I will attempt to address.
You may have seen the news regarding 290 students being quarantined after one week of school in Albert Lea. We are trying to avoid that, as one of the major themes we have heard is to keep kids in school. While individuals who are positive for COVID will always need to isolate, there are mitigation strategies to keep kids safe, and a couple of those strategies, masking, and vaccination, also prevent students from being considered a close contact and automatically being sent home to quarantine, thus keeping more kids in school. The CDC lists three exceptions, allowing us not to consider a student a close contact. 1) if both students wore well-fitting masks the entire time, 2) when close contact is vaccinated, and 3) when a close contact has been diagnosed with COVID within the last three months. These exemptions led us to the recommendation of masking for students age 2 through grade 8 because we know that we cannot guarantee social distancing for these students, and the majority of them are not eligible to be vaccinated. On the other hand, our high school students do have the opportunity to be vaccinated, which led us to the recommendation of holding off on requiring masks at that level.
I also made a recommendation, at the school board's request, for a decision matrix or scale to guide movements to increased mask usage or decreased mask usage. The board decided to use a district-level 14-day per 10,000 case count to drive movements of the three options.
I'll end this week by reminding everyone that the situation is different this year. Unlike last year, what were requirements from the CDC and MDH (except for transportation) are now recommendations, however with continued guidance on when to mask, leaving school boards to govern what they believe to be the best course of action for their district. As we have seen, Hastings is in line with all but one of our surrounding districts, with some choosing to mask through grade twelve.
It continues to be important to hear from our families, and we will make the best decisions possible to keep kids safe and in person.
Sincerely,
Bob McDowell, Ed.D.
Superintendent
School Board Meeting Update for August 25, 2021
- The board continues to review and update board policies. You can review each of them here.
- Trent Hansen, Athletic Director, shared Athletic Ticket Sales Procedure Changes. More information on how to purchase athletic tickets under this new procedure is outlined below in this raider update.
- The superintendent provided an update, during the superintendent report, about current data, recommendations, and options for the start of the 2021-2022 school. In addition, the School board passed a resolution, effective August 30, 2021, pertaining to several health and safety topics.
You can view the August 25th School Board meeting in its entirety here. The next regular school board meeting is on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, at 6:00 PM at the Middle School Media Center. For more information about the school board, meeting dates, agendas, and minutes, visit our School Board page.
Food Service Update
Courtesy Routes
Just a reminder that transportation routing information is available in the Campus Portal by clicking “More” and then “Bus Information.” If your pickup or dropoff location is not accurate, please contact your child’s Building Office.
Courtesy bus route information is available on the district’s website.
Courtesy routes are for secondary students who live within the walking radius of the Middle School or High School.
Raider Masks Available for $5.75
No Cash At Athletic Events
HAPPENING NOW: School Supply Distribution at Hastings Family Service
Emergency Broadband Benefit Program
Back-To-School Annual Updates
Families will be asked to review and update parent/guardian contact information and non-household emergency contacts. Families will also be asked to review and agree to their school's student handbook, the Student Device User Agreement & Responsible Use of Technology Agreement, and a COVID Daily Symptoms Check Agreement.
One parent or guardian from the primary household will be required to provide information for your children. Parents/Guardians from a secondary household will be able to update their own contact information. For step-by-step instructions, click here.
We appreciate your support in updating this critical information so that we can best serve you and your students.
Staggered Start for the First Day of School
Still Time to Enroll!
Hastings Public Schools
- Tilden Community Center 651-480-7670
- Kennedy Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7221
- McAuliffe Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7390
- Pinecrest Elementary (K-4) 651-480-7280
- Hastings Middle School (5-8) 651-480-7060
- Hastings High School (9-12) 651-480-7470
- Hastings Alternative Learning Center 651-480-7690
*If you need any assistance in translating the Raider Update, contact us at kgorr@isd200.org.
Website: www.hastings.k12.mn.us
Location: 1000 11th Street West, Hastings, MN, USA
Phone: 651-480-7000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hastingspublicschools