Cape Schools to offer paid leave to staff impacted by COVID

As classes resume in the Cape Girardeau School District and with the unknowns presented by the delta variant, the Board of Education has approved a plan to offer five days of paid leave to employees unable to work or telework because of a potential future COVID-19 quarantine during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Cape Girardeau School District classes resumed today.

"This is a one-time benefit and will kick in only after an employee has already taken the allotted three days of sick leave," said Neil Glass, Cape Girardeau School District superintendent.

"The district is in a financial position where it can do this and offering this will go a long way toward staff morale."

Glass said he has been talking with other school superintendents around Missouri about this issue.

"Some districts are offering 10 days (of leave) and others nothing, so five days is a good compromise," he said.

The Cape Girardeau Public Schools central administrative offices as seen on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021. Sarah Yenesel ~ sarahy@semissourian.com

In the words of the resolution approved Monday by the school board, "We realize being required to quarantine is burdensome and in some cases a true hardship for employees and their families."

Kristin Tallent, Cape Girardeau School District communications director, said there is more at stake with this paid leave provision than may be immediately apparent.

"The extra COVID days are especially important for our non-teaching staff because some of them may not have the ability to telework," Tallent said.

"Teachers can telework if they are feeling up to it (but) a cafeteria worker, a custodian or a maintenance worker cannot perform their duties away from the building."

During the previous school year of 2020-2021, school districts were mandated to offer 10 COVID days to employees but the requirement has expired.

"I feel we should provide our faculty and staff something going forward," Glass said.

Parental COVID input

Three parents who requested to speak to the school board voiced their concerns as the meeting began about the lack of a mask mandate in the Cape Girardeau schools.

In a special meeting earlier this month, Glass said masks are highly recommended but not required. Masks will become mandated if attendance in any school falls below 90% for five consecutive school days, he said.

A mother of two told the board its decision shows "a lack of compassion and consideration for the immunocompromised."

The woman said her 8-year old daughter has had two liver transplants and takes anti-rejection medication twice a day, which she said made the child more susceptible to infection.

Tuition rising

By a unanimous vote, the school board approved raising out-of-district tuition for elementary and secondary students to $9,500 for the new year. Tuition had been at $9,000 annually for the previous three academic years, said the district's chief financial officer Lindsey Dudek.

Glass said the increase "is in line with what other districts charge in the area," and added the increase will impact approximately 30 students.