ELY – The new interim superintendent for ISD 696 presided over his first Ely Safe Learning Plan Advisory Council (ESLPAC) this week, and he was lobbied by some members to lift the school campus face mask mandate that has been in place since the beginning of the school year.
John Klarich took over as lead administrator for the district last week following the resignation of Erik Erie. The long-time school administrator, twice retired, left his last superintendent position just over two years ago, and just prior to the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
“COVID is all new to me so I’m kind of learning on the fly,” he said as he sat in the school district office with Ely Principals Anne Oelke and Megan Anderson, and conducted the advisory council meeting via Zoom.
He related that as the mayor of the city of Buhl, their COVID-19 precautions included the temporary closing of city hall, library and senior citizens center.
“That was our solution, and after that we required some masking and now everything (in Buhl) is wide open,” he said.
About half of the 18 ELSPAC members who were in attendance introduced themselves to Klarich.
“It is my goal, and I assume it is the goal of the committee, to get through this pandemic together, to get to voluntary (masking) and then no-masking, eventually,” he said. “There is a plan and a way to get there. I know you worked extensively on that and I’m here to assist with that. I don’t know if we have to tweak it or not. I think as new metrics and numbers come in, we will be able to do more.”
Klarich did not have any new COVID-19 public health updates from the Minnesota Departments of Health or Education to relate to the council. The St. Louis County Public Health Department representative did not participate in the meeting.
Essentia Ely Clinic representative Heather Holthaus said the clinic has discontinued weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics.
“We had a clinic two weeks ago and vaccinated just 11 people,” she said, “including one child in the age 5-11 range.”
Pfizer vaccines remain available Monday through Friday with an appointment.
Coronavirus testing and positive cases continue their decline in Ely, according to Holthaus.
“This is definitely a plus,” she said.
A similar report of a decline in reported positive COVID-19 cases was presented by Tiffany Zemke, of the Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital. Vaccines, both Pfizer and Moderna, remain available for distribution.
Recommended changes to the Ely Safe Learning Plan, in light of recent data, remain “in a holding pattern,” Klarich said. “We are waiting for a big break, preferably down, so we can start considering other options with the masking. I’m not saying this is going to happen overnight, but I think that as we have goals that are established, the principals and myself will be watching this very closely, as is everyone else on this committee. We will be open to further discussion as we watch the numbers, hopefully, reduce.”
Devon Luthens, a parent, nurse and educator, and ELSPAC member since September, suggested that the COVID-19 case rate and data metrics in the Safe Learning Plan could be outdated. “There is a growing concern among parents that with all the changes that have taken place within the last couple of weeks, the metrics that we set could now be outdated,” she said. “Those were made to deal with the Delta variant and prior to the availability of (age) 5-11 vaccinations.”
Luthens cited the vaccination rate in the Ely school community and recent infection rates in saying “it would be reasonable to discuss that we have pretty good protection in our school population and maybe that (plan metrics) needs to be revisited.”
She continued, “It is no secret that I want the mask mandate ended. There are lots of options for individuals should they choose to continue to mask that can provide protection.”
Klarich responded, “Personally, I would like to see more movement of the cases going down. I do think we will have to start looking at this more closely as time goes on. I don’t think I’m ready to make a big move yet. If metrics need to be adjusted, I think this committee, as a group, would have to come to some sort of consensus on that to present it to the school board. Right now, let’s stay with what we have.”
School board member Tom Omerza stressed the importance of hearing from local medical and health professionals on the effectiveness of the school face mask mandate compared to the rest of the local community.
Holthaus said, “That is a hard one to try to figure out. How things are going in town, that is hard to say. We don’t have anything to even try to research that.”
“At what point are we going to make a move?” Omerza asked. “We have to make a move. I don’t think we are going to be in masks forever. Everybody on campus now has had the opportunity to get their first and second shots. There is a bit of ambiguity. Everybody is doing something different around the country and around the world. To get the local flavor from the local medical professionals would be nice to hear. I’m ready to listen and try to move forward with this.”
Holthaus asserted that the Ely community seems to have reached the saturation point on vaccinations.
“We’re not going to get there on vaccines,” she said. “I’m not seeing anybody coming in anymore. Whatever the vaccination rate is at the school is what it will be. I don’t see any improving in any shape or form. I think maybe we could be at our (COVID-19) peak, and we might start to see a drop. I think that is the only way you’re going to get the masks off. Trust me, I want them off just as much as the next person, but I also want everyone to be safe.”
Ely school district Athletic Director Tom Coombe weighed in.
“I think it is obvious that now there is a train moving in a certain direction. Cases are going down and declining significantly in some parts of Minnesota, and there is no reason to believe that won’t happen here as well,” he said. “I hope that we are moving in the direction of having masks recommended. And I hope that is sooner rather than later. My hope is that we jump on that train sooner rather than later.”
Ely school nurse Betty Erickson also commented.
“We’ve gone this far with masks. Let’s not jump ship and dive in without masks, and all of a sudden, some other virus (variant)comes along and here we are again back in the masks. I think we should give it some time. We have more time than anything to check this out. I think we’re doing fine here. Let’s not be in a hurry to rip off the masks. We’ll get rid of them eventually.”
The next ELSPAC meeting is scheduled for the week before next month’s school board meeting at 3 p.m. on Monday, March 7.