The new auditorium at Hillsboro High School/Middle School is 90 percent done and there is a chance February’s school board meeting could be held there, superintendent Tim Davis said at Monday’s board of education meeting.
“It is almost to the point that you can kind of taste it. It is that close,” Davis said. “We’re trying to look at what kind of events we can have to start it off officially, and a time for a ribbon-cutting.”
He said that while COVID-19 issues have continued to knock the project’s finish date back, the school district is now tentatively looking at Feb. 8 as the date the auditorium will open.
Davis said the major items left to be finished include the stage floor, curtains and some lighting.
“We‘re heading down the home stretch and it’s really exciting,” the superintendent said. “I think it’s really going to look great and be a great addition to our school district.”
The school board hopes to hold its next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 15, in the auditorium, Davis said, but he added that is not yet official. He said the district will notify the local news media.
Also is his report to the school board, Davis said the new Everetts Way, a driveway that will link the high school/middle school to SR 247, may open around the same time as the auditorium.
Davis said the school district has received a permit for a school sign that will go up near the Everetts Way/SR 247 intersection, but it will probably not be placed until the spring. He also said the district has received a permit for the roadway and that flashing lights at the intersection should go up soon.
The school is also exploring ways to fix morning traffic backup issues around the student parking lot, Davis said.
In other news, board president Bill Myers thanked the administrative staff for the school district’s new COVID-19 quarantine guidelines.
The guidelines, which came from the Ohio Department of Health, became effective Dec. 30. They state:
* If a student or teacher is exposed in the classroom setting to someone with COVID-19, quarantine is not recommended for the exposed individual as long as masking and other appropriate protocols were followed.
* Quarantine continues to be advised for anyone who is exposed in the classroom if protocols have not been followed (e.g., students or adults in the classroom did not properly wear masks).
* Quarantine also continues to be advised for anyone exposed during extracurricular activities, including sports, regardless of masking or other protocols. Revised guidelines above only apply in classroom settings.
* “Hillsboro City Schools will also be using the 10-day quarantine option recommended by the (Centers For Disease Control) for both students and staff. However, this does not pertain to students in athletics. Athletes will not be able to participate for the full 14-day quarantine. They will be permitted to return to school after the 10-day quarantine, but can’t participate in athletics until the end of the 14 days. They can only return on those dates if they are symptom free.
“Hillsboro City Schools will continue with our current protocol of checking temperatures daily for students and staff. If someone has a fever over 100 degrees they will not be permitted back to school until after 72 hours fever free without medication.”
“I think that’s a good thing for us,” Myers said. “I really feel like we had a tremendous first semester, thanking the teachers. We really believe our students need to be in school.”
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522.
