Mercer School Board Approves Re-Opening Plan

Mercer School Board members approved their Reopening Plan for the 2020 school year during their meeting on Monday night. The plan includes 3 phases that will account for a no cases of COVID-19, a case of COVID-19 diagnosed in a student or staff member, and a community spread of COVID-19.

The Mercer School District will begin their first day of school for students on August 24th. Phase I of the re-opening will a five-day school week students and staff. There will special classes, such as band and gym, that will have specific locations, seating will be assigned throughout the school day for classes and lunch periods, water bottles will be brought to school for a student’s use. The school’s doors will be locked until 7:45am each day.

Phase II of the Mercer Re-Opening Plan would be in effective if a COVID-19 case is diagnosed in the district. The phase would include some virtual and in-person classes to meet the state’s requirement that students must attend 2 days of school each week if not taking courses virtually. In the phase, elementary students would still attend 4 days per week in person for small classes, and large classes would meet two full days per week and two half-days. Older grades would meet less in-person.

Phase III of the Mercer Re-Opening Plan would be a transition to all-virtual. All MSHSAA activities would also be suspended in that Phase.

There is an option for parents to opt out of in-person classes prior to the school year. That would require a one-year commitment. The student could not participate in MSHSAA activities. The Mercer School District would pay the $225 per-class, per-hour cost for the students to enter the “Launch Virtual Program” of the Springfield School District for students that opt out of in-person classes. Mercer’s district has entered a partnership with the Springfield School District for the virtual program.

The complete Mercer Re-Opening Plan can be found here.

Mercer’s board also approved a tax levy of $4.96 per hundred dollars of assessed valuation. The district’s valuation was down slightly at $17.8 million.

Mercer’s board approved the adult lunch prices at $3.05. That is a 5 cent increase.

The Mercer board also hired Kim Tate of Trenton as the district’s Parents as Teacher Director.