Caldwell County school board members approved a $100 incentive for fully vaccinated employees from the Kentucky Department of Education at Monday night’s meeting.
Superintendent Jeremy Roach says the KDE approved reimbursement for a vaccination incentive program for all full-time and part-time employees in the school district who receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
click to download audioThe board unanimously approved the $100 COVID-19 vaccination incentive for school employees.
During a discussion about the mask procedure, Roach said they have plenty of data showing that students are not necessarily contracting COVID-19 exposure at school with the current protocols in place which include masks. He added at this time the district will continue to require students, staff and visitors to mask up inside school buildings until the county’s COVID-19 incidence rate is in the orange or less for at least two weeks at which time masks will become optional.
click to download audioHe noted the COVID numbers are decreasing in the school district as well as in the county and around the area.
Roach said they assume that the COVID cases in Caldwell, Trigg and Lyon counties will continue to decline and escape the red group on the state’s COVID-19 incidence rate map. He added Caldwell County is not there yet, but they will be as the number of cases are on a downward spiral across the state.
click to download audioHe noted the test to stay program began Monday in the district which is a voluntary test to help keep students who have been exposed to the virus in a school setting and facing quarantine to stay in school if they test negative each morning for six days in a row.
Board Chair Tim Kennaday asked about mask requirements on buses with Roach explaining that falls under a federal mandate.
click to download audioRoach added their goal besides keeping kids healthy and safe is to keep students in school and the numbers are on their way down and the district needs to have an end in sight.
Kennaday said the district does not need to go back and forth on mask requirements for students and staff with Roach explaining that’s why he believes the county needs to be out of the red on the state’s incidence rate map for 10 days.
click to download audioNo action was required with the board leaving the decision regarding masks in the hands of Roach.
