Beatrice Public Schools Continuing with "Tier Two" Operation, For Now

BEATRICE – Beatrice Public Schools continues operating at a Tier-Two level, during the coronavirus pandemic, and the school’s superintendent says the reason the district has done so well this year, is that health experts and school district staff have worked together to make it happen.

"I think our administrative team and our staff has done a terrific job. I can't say thank you enough to them at a time that it's just not easy to do anything. There's not logic to anything...there's not a whole lot of support out there one way or another...there's a lot of polar opposition...but our staff has found a way to continue to educate kids in a difficult situation."

Superintendent Jason Alexander says the school system has been communicating by letter and website with parents about steps that have been taken and may be taken in the future. He says the goal remains to continue to keep kids in school for as long as the district can.

Recently, coronavirus numbers have been trending upward in the public health district that includes Beatrice. Through regular participation with Beatrice Incident Command, Alexander said a key factor is relying on what the virus data is telling people….including the number of cases in the area, region and in the school district itself.

"We see the number of cases increasing, we see the hospitalizations increasing. We see the increase in the number of cases we're dealing with in school. Today, on our dashboard, we had three cases. But also, behind that dashboard or what everybody doesn't see, is a spreadsheet that is tracking everyone that goes to get tested, that reports it to us....the number of positive and negative tests that we get back. The other thing that is happening is the number of students that are quarantined, or the number of staff that are quarantined."

In an update to the Board of Education Monday night, Alexander said the procedures the district has put in place has helped keep the influence of the coronavirus fairly static.

"Moving within Tier Two where we currently operate at and in Tier Three...is likely to be based on a higher than normal percentage of different things. One, is the number of cases in the school system....two, the number of cases in our area, in our region....and three, an overall concern from the Unified Command and the administrative team."

Alexander says he believes the district is at a “tipping point” as to the direction the spread of the coronavirus will take. He says that makes it critical to pay close attention to the data involving the virus.

"We're seeing increased levels of concern overall, statewide, regionally, locally...and school-wide. We have staff that are very concerned about this. Staff that has reached out to me..and we have set up a meeting Thursday to meet with them."

Alexander says close monitoring and good communication are necessary to adapt and be able to respond with the appropriate ways to educate students.
One issue for the district is having enough substitute teachers should a widespread virus transmission require more teachers to be quarantined. Board member Doris Martin says district teaching staff have done a good job being ready to teach either in-person or online…during the pandemic.

School districts in Nebraska are now allowed to use substitute teachers for a longer period of days, and in Beatrice, the district has also made use of a para-educator in the classroom when a teacher has to remain at home, participating remotely in tandem with the para-educator.