Hennessey school board members focused on student safety during a special board meeting Thursday evening.

“We have to do everything we can to keep them safe when they walk in the door at school,” said Hennessey Board of Education President Dr. James Matthew Matousek.

He made the comment before the board unanimously approved a Return to Learn Plan.

Hennessey’s school year starts this Thursday.

“So if a classroom has been exposed (to COVID-19) do all students and the teacher go home for 10 days?” asked board member Luke Lough.

“Only those who were in close contact,” said Superintendent Dr. Mike Woods.

“So potentially we could have a mass exodus of students and teachers gone for the next 10 days,” Lough said.

“Only if they were exposed,” Woods said.

If a student is tested positive then parents of all students in that grade will be notified since they have recess and music classes together, Woods said. “We have to stress social distancing and wearing masks.”

“I saw them social distancing at the swimming pool (across the street from the school on my way here),” Matousek said.

The only social distancing is while they jump 10 feet off the high dive, said another.

The document approved was created by Principal Principles LLC, and Woods said it will probably be tweaked daily. “There have been many changes in our plans during our weekly meetings with staff.”

This plan includes protocols and forms for Self Screening; Employees/Students Presenting Symptoms; Visitor Self-Screening, and Recent Travel Reporting Form.

Temperature cameras

Woods said installation of the thermal imaging cameras to detect high temperatures was completed that day by Sentry Security Solutions located south of Dallas.

“It’s operational,” he said about the 14 cameras throughout the school’s several buildings, and training would be the next day.

“Some people have questioned the accuracy of those,” said Lough.

The camera’s sensitivity was questioned, and Woods said if it showed a temperature then they would go to the hand-held device to recheck it.

“These are also security cameras,” said Woods, “so there is also facial recognition.”

“Does it also detect metal?” asked board member Patrick Griffin.

“I didn’t think to ask today,” said Woods.

Employees get counseling

“There has been a lot of anticipation and anxiety about the start of the school year,” said Woods about extra duty pay for the school’s two counselors, Jill Moery and Tammy Tillman.

“It’s been a preponderance of employees (who’ve been counseled),” said Woods when asked. “A few students.”

He said counselors worked two or three hours a day, sometimes in the conference room, some at home from July 12-26.

Their pay is $30 an hour, and the number of hours weren’t mentioned.

Other personnel matters

• Daycare – The board routinely approved Woods as the fiscal agent for the school’s daycare, then hired Bradi Pospisil, Allison Paulsen and Ellen Fry as daycare workers. They will be paid the same hourly rate as classroom aides, and based on experience, said Timberly Jech, minutes clerk and office manager.

• Custodian extra duty – Paulina Gonzalez was approved for a $300 extra duty stipend for assistant to head custodial duties during July. All board members were

All board members were present for the meeting. On-site members were Cristopher Choate, Matousek, Lough and Griffin. Vice President Joe Garrison attended via Zoom video conference.

Staff at the meeting included Barry Crosswhite, elementary principal, and Todd Cameron, technology director.

School web site down

The school’s web site was down off and on before and during the board meeting. “We’ve had several huge DDOS attacks and SQL Injection attacks today,” wrote the school’s web provider to Cameron. Those attacks caused “slow page load speeds, but none were able to take down our servers,” wrote Gabbart Communications tech.