Superintendent reports six positive cases of COVID, board gets copies of 6-man football schedule

By ROWENA PLETT

Staff writer

Persons speaking in public forum at Centre school board meetings will be allowed five minutes to express their opinions.

In cases where a large number of patrons have similar opinions, a single speaker should be chosen to represent the larger group.

The policy was adopted by the Centre board of education at its Monday meeting.

Board members received copies of the six-man football schedules for 2022 and 2023. Centre will be playing eight teams including Peabody-Burns in Marion County. Other teams are Burrton, Southern Coffey, Altoona, Waverly, Natoma, Chetopa, and Wetmore.

Principal Trevor Siebert reported that two Wichita schools — Wichita Classic and Wichita Central Christian — had requested membership in the Wheat State League. He advised rejecting their inclusion. The league has 10 schools.

“We’re big enough,” he said. “Besides, they are private schools, so they are not on the same playing field.”

The board voted to direct athletic director Tim Vinduska to vote “no” at the upcoming league meeting.

Superintendent Larry Geist reported an uptick in COVID testing Monday. Thirty-nine tests were administered, and six came back positive, including at least one faculty member. The staff member and several students are quarantined.

Geist said he received new guidance from the Marion County Health Department that no one who has had COVID in the past three months has to be tested.

Geist said staff members who have tested positive for COVID or are quarantined have to take sick leave this year. Board member Yvonne Burhoop asked Geist to check and see if any federal COVID money is still available to cover them.

“It’s not fair for them to take sick leave if they were exposed at school,” she said.

After an executive session, the board granted a waiver to exempt students from the 40-hour remote-learning limit who were quarantined at home anytime between Sept. 13 to Oct. 11.

After several other executive sessions, the board voted to hire Pray Diepenbrock as a COVID testing and reporting person. She will be paid using federal funds.

Tim Vinduska will receive supplemental pay as assistant high school girls’ basketball coach.

The Kansas Online Learning Program sponsored by Centre has 181 students enrolled in kindergarten through 12th grade and 160 enrolled as adults. The official enrollment at Centre schools is 174.