Esko rolls with pandemic wave

First there was one. Now there are seven cases of Covid-19 at the Esko schools, and nearly three dozen students were quarantined as of last week.

The Esko school board held a special online meeting Wednesday, Sept. 16 to approve new hires and discuss Covid-19 information. During that meeting, superintendent Aaron Fischer told board members the school had five cases of Covid-19, and 35 students in quarantine. As of Tuesday, Sept. 22 the number of positive cases had grown to seven, with two at the elementary level and five in grades 7-12. No staff members have tested positive.

As part of the Esko school district's protocol, any students that were in close contact (6 feet or less) with those who have the Covid-19 are now in quarantine.

"Just because you are quarantined, it doesn't mean you have Covid. It doesn't even mean you have symptoms," Fischer said. "It just means that you fit the definition of being in close contact [with someone who has Covid-19]."

The number of days a student must stay in quarantine depends on whether or not they have the virus, with certain stipulations in place for both instances. Regardless of the protocol, Fischer said the Esko school district is doing all it can to ensure the safety of students and staff. Staff members also have access to one saliva test each, that they can take at home and send in for quicker results, he said.

"We have our protocols in place that are working really well," Fischer told the board. "We have been very efficient and effective in getting our tracing started [and] getting our information to MDH [the Minnesota Department of Health]." He added that Carlton County public health nurses have been very helpful, adding that MDH and public health have more information about where particular cases are. One of the cases involves a student who hasn't been attending school in person, he said, but it still counts in the Esko school numbers.

As of Tuesday morning, Fischer said they have had no evidence of any transmission in the schools, but that could change. And they plan to stick with using a hybrid model for secondary students - with grade 7-12 students attending school in-person twice a week in two different groups - and all in-person learning for grades K-6 for now.

"At this point there's been no discussion about doing anything different, but that could change in an hour," he told the Pine Knot, stressing that decision making is a moving target these days. "We have to look at county data, our data, staffing, spread, are we mitigating it? We have to consider if a family gets sick versus a bunch of cases that are more spread out. There's like 200 reasons we would change, but noting at this moment."

The board also approved the hire of 14 new employees who will provide needed assistance in the school and help current staff implement the new protocols in place due to Covid-19.

Fischer commended the efforts of staff, support staff, and students in these difficult times. He noted that everyone has been playing a part in keeping as many people safe and healthy as possible. Students are doing a good job of following the guidelines, wearing masks and social distancing as much as possible, he said.

Principals Brian Harker (elementary) and Greg Hexum (high school) provided updates and recognized how challenging the new system is for all involved, as well as the efforts being made by all. "We're off to a good start," Harker said, commenting on the first full week that classes have been in session. Likewise, Hexum explained that "people are really motivated and are inspired to do the best they can, but there's a lot of work going into it."

The board talked about the use of federal pandemic funding to bring in more substitute staff and resources as well as how to best maintain current protocols. The board planned to talk about further measures at its regular meeting Thursday.

Pine Knot News editor Jana

Peterson contributed to this story.