By Will Fairless
Associate Editor
Superintendent Dr. Mac McCoy gave an update on the school system’s COVID situation at the Lee County Board of Education’s regularly schedule meeting on Oct. 13.
Seventy-Five percent of Lee County students are attending school in person as of the board meeting.
“Our numbers are running very similar to what you see in Lee County,” McCoy said. “We ended last week in orange, and we ended the week before that in green.”
He added that an increase in the number of cases came two weeks after home football games, which was to be expected. He thanked the students of Lee County schools and their parents for helping the schools’ staff in keeping infection down and keeping buildings clean.
“We’re working hard,” McCoy said. “I cannot say enough good things about our nurses, about our custodians, about our teachers, about all the administrators doing everything they can. I think the teachers have never worked harder in their lives to get the students back to where they need to be, where they want to be.”
The Alabama Department of Health came out with a new set of guidelines recently, and Lee County Schools has implemented the “6/15 quarantine rule,” which means students or faculty who have been within six feet of a COVID-positive student for at least 15 minutes are quarantined. McCoy said that the outcomes of that rule should be a lot more people sent home to quarantine and a lot fewer positive cases.
There were 11 positive COVID cases reported among all Lee County schools students in the week between Oct. 2 and Oct. 9. Four symptomatic students, in addition to the positive cases, were sent home during that time period, and 153 students were quarantined due to close contact (these figures are available at sites google.com/lee.k12.al.us/lcscovid-19publicdashboard/home?scrlybrkr=e3af70cd).
The board also recognized Milford Burkhalter at the meeting for 12 years of service on the Lee County School board, as he is retiring from that service.
“It is my pleasure and also sadness to recognize Mr. Milford Burkhalter for being a board member with us since 2008, to 2020, in recognition of your dedicated service to the children of Lee County schools, thank you very much,” McCoy said. “Thank you for being the leader you have been for me.”
In other business, the board:
selected two of its members to act as delegates during the 2020 AASB Delegate Assembly, Dec. 4-5, at the Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham or virtually. The two selected are Larry Boswell, President, District 2, and Larry Patterson, District 6.
voted to allow McCoy to negotiate with anyone who is interested in providing security system and installation for Lee County Schools, as no acceptable bids for the service were received since Sept. 10
heard the monthly financial report and cash reconciliation for the month of August from Ken Roberts
were reminded to come up with nominations for the County Board of Equalization.
The Lee County Board of Education meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at 2410 Society Hill Road; its next meeting is scheduled for Nov. 10.