Changes to Visitor Policies
Here is the message that was sent to Great Bend USD 428 families Friday morning:
Greetings 428 families!
Throughout the past two years, the USD 428 Board of Education and district administration has prioritized the essential functions of our schools that support the growth and development of our students.
In recent weeks, COVID-19 numbers in our district and community have steadily declined. In response to the low numbers district-wide, the Board of Education has approved the inclusion of family members as essential visitors* in our buildings.
Beginning Monday, February 28, family members can visit school buildings for lunch. Please be mindful that school office staff, food service workers, and students may need some time to adjust to welcoming visitors back to schools.
We want to remind families to follow the process defined below when visiting their student(s) for lunch.
• Contact your child’s building no later than 8:00 am to notify the school of your attendance at lunch.
• Confirm your child’s lunchtime and arrive no more than 5 minutes before the scheduled lunch period.
• All visitors must check-in at the office.
• Please be patient with lunchroom procedures and staff. Our Food Service Department is still experiencing supply chain issues which may result in menu changes at short notice, or affect the availability of selected entree options. Student meals are our top priority.
A strong partnership between our schools and families is important to the educational journey of our students. Over the next few weeks and months, we look forward to welcoming you back into the buildings!
Sincerely,
USD 428 Administration
*Visitor access during lunch periods may be adjusted at a future date if the number of visitors becomes too large or if Covid-19 cases increase.
Starting Monday, parents and family members of Great Bend USD 428 students will again be allowed to visit schools as pandemic restrictions are eased.
The schools haven’t been open to visitors for the past two years, said Andrea Bauer, public information director for USD 428. The district saw a spike in COVID-19 cases toward the end of January but on Feb. 14 there were only two active cases at the start of the week and this Monday there were four. The number of new cases statewide is also dropping.
When the school board met Thursday at Eisenhower Elementary School, board president Jacquie Disque asked if the district’s COVID-19 protocols will allow schools to ease the restrictions without the school board first revising the Operations Plan created to deal with COVID-19.
The policy states that, as a health precaution, the district will “limit the number of non-essential visitors in all buildings.” Superintendent Khris Thexton said that wording is still valid but that it does allow some leeway without board action.
“We can start small,” Thexton said.
A common example of admitting outside visitors would be allowing parents or other family members to have lunch with students. That was allowed before the pandemic and now they can do so again. Family members are expected to make arrangements with the attendance center they wish to visit by calling the office in advance so the number of visitors on a given day is not overwhelming, Thexton said. That is how it was done before the pandemic.
“We want to make sure that when they come in, they’re checking in,” Thexton said. “In the past, they knew to check in at the office. We’ll just have to go through that process again and clarify what that looks like.”
Even though no board action was required, Disque wanted to make sure board members were in agreement and she wanted them to know the building principals are OK with easing restrictions.
“If, for some reason, cases come up, we can adjust,” Disque said, adding that might even be on a building by building basis.
Notices explaining the new guidelines are expected to go out to families this week.
Other business
In other business Thursday, the board heard a presentation from Eisenhower Elementary Principal JoAnn Blevins and some of her leadership team. Eisenhower hosted the board’s February luncheon meeting.
The board approved one new licensed teacher appointment. Katie Maneth will teach at one of the elementary schools this fall.
The board also approved the following contributions:
• Marmie Motors donated $450 to the Great Bend High School Athletic Department for its “touchdowns” incentive contribution.
• Vendor Ohiopyle donated $59.71 to the GBHS Athletic Department; this incentive is for GBHS apparel sold through Walmart, Thexton said.
• Helping Hands Preschool received $545 from “various contributors” toward the purchase of playground equipment and $2,478 from vendor J.T. Enterprises for its fundraising drive.
