COVID Spreading Through DeKalb School System

August 25, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

The number of positive cases of COVID-19 and those quarantined have more than doubled in the DeKalb County School District over the past week but schools remain open with no plans for shutting down.

Director of Schools Patrick Cripps told WJLE Wednesday morning that school districts have been left to fend for themselves on how to handle the crisis without much guidance from the state. Because of the Governor’s directives there is no mask mandate or remote learning option for schools. Parents may also choose to opt out if any school district should defy the governor’s executive order and require masks anyway.

“We are getting hit from both sides. The Governor has said we can’t have a mask mandate and there are people against masks while others are for them and wondering why we are not in masks. We also have people calling and asking why we are not shut down or why we won’t let them do remote learning. That is not our choice. That was the Governor who said we will not do masks or remote learning,” said Director Cripps.

“When he (Governor) lifted the state of emergency for education several months ago that ended our continuous learning plan that we developed and ran under last year. Under that plan if we had to close schools we could still go remote and provide educational services to our students and it not count against our inclement weather days. When he lifted that it all vanished. We’re fighting this and we don’t have any tools to fight with,” Director Cripps continued.

According to Attendance Supervisor Joey Reeder, a total of 43 positive cases of COVID and 101 quarantines were reported among students district wide last Wednesday, August 18. Those numbers have steadily grown each day and as of Wednesday, August 25 there were 114 positive cases and 301 quarantines.

“We know its bad and may get worse but there has not been a week go by since this started that we haven’t talked to some health provider and we stay in touch with the health department,” said Reeder.

“I’d say about 60-70% of our time right now is dealing with COVID. Our positive cases are rising and we do have a number quarantined and its adding a greater burden on our school nurses. Our poor nurses are trying to keep up with everything they are doing, not only dealing with day to day medical issues they have, but now they are having to deal with the COVID problem as well and its not only students but its our faculty and staff too, There are areas we are concerned about making sure we have classrooms covered as well as the cafeterias because the lack of cafeteria staff could shut a school down in a hurry if you can’t feed the kids. Then how long do you stay closed?. That’s the fight we are in right now,” said Director Cripps.

According to Cripps, the schools are basically relying on parents to report cases of COVID.

“We are not checking temperatures at the door and we don’t get reports from the medical profession saying someone has COVID. We rely on parents to call and tell us. Once we have a positive case we send letters home and a remind app to notify parents that their child is in a classroom where there has been a positive COVID student with possible exposures. We tell the parents that they have the option to quarantine their child and we advise them to please look for signs and symptoms. If the child shows signs, we ask the parents to keep the child home for a few days. Because of the number of students, we are unable to contact trace,” said Director Cripps

Although remote learning is not an option, students at home can keep up with their homework from packets sent home to them or via Google Classroom.

Director Cripps said while remote learning resulted in some learning loss among students last year, the state ought to allow school districts to re-implement it this year should the pandemic get worse.

“Our school board made the push for 1:1 devices a few years ago and we have them now so what better time could there be to use them than if we had to shut down?. We could continue our educational process by doing our curriculum online through those 1:1 devices. Not being able to do that hurts everyone involved,” said Director Cripps.

In the meantime, Cripps said he is trying to get answers from the state.

“I don’t want the community to think we’re just being idle and don’t care and are not trying to do something. I have tried to reach out to our State Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn and State Senator Mark Pody. I have made contact with State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver, who has been receptive. We would like to get our continuous learning plan (remote learning) back in place so that if we do have to close down we don’t have to add days or use our inclement weather days. We all know snow is coming and there is always a chance for flooding,” said Director Cripps.

The state requires districts to complete 180 days of student instruction each school year. If schools were to shut down for a few days, the district would have to use a portion or all of its 13 day allotment of inclement weather days, usually reserved for snow and flooding to make them up. After those 13 days are exhausted, then any further days missed would have to be made up at the end of the school year. That too poses a challenge because the state requires the district to offer summer school right after the regular school year has ended.

Another concern is food shortages.

“We are not getting all the food we’re ordering for our schools. Last week a truck dropped off a shipment at the west school but our staff had to pick up the food and deliver it to the schools because there were no available truck drivers,” added Director Cripps.

August 25, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Case closed!

Five months after the DeKalb Animal Coalition went to court trying to prevent the City of Smithville from intervening in the operation of the animal shelter, the case has been dismissed.

The order was signed Monday, August 23 by Chancellor Ronald Thurman.

It was clear the case would be dropped after the Coalition and City agreed to terms of an amended lease and contract over the operation of the animal shelter which was approved and signed by parties for both sides earlier this month.

“All issues joined for trial have been amicably resolved by Plaintiff (Coalition) and Defendant (City) by virtue of the parties having entered into an Amended Lease and Contract under date of August 10, 2021. It is also unnecessary to add DeKalb County as a necessary and indispensable party. It is therefore ordered that the action filed by the Plaintiff(Coalition) against Defendants City of Smithville and DeKalb County, is hereby dismissed as to both Defendants,” according to the order.

In March the Chancellor issued a temporary restraining order pending a final hearing to keep the City of Smithville from taking over the operation of the animal shelter which was and remains under the control of the DeKalb Coalition for Humane Treatment of Animals, INC.

The Coalition, represented by attorney Sarah Cripps, sought to make the temporary restraining order against the city permanent and for the Chancellor to construe and interpret provisions of both the Coalition’s lease and contract with the City over the operation of the animal shelter as well as the Coalition’s memorandum of understanding with the County.

Cripps was granted the temporary injunction, later amended to a temporary restraining order, after the Smithville Aldermen voted unanimously on March 1 to terminate the city’s 99 year lease with the Coalition and for the city to assume total control of the animal shelter. The mayor and aldermen claimed that the Coalition, which since 2017 has contracted with the city to manage and oversee the facility, had breached its agreement. City officials contended that the city’s own employees who worked there actually managed the day to day operation of the shelter. In a separate move, the aldermen voted 4 to 1 on March 1 to again allow the shelter to accept animals from outside the city but within the county. Something the Coalition had been fighting for since the aldermen issued the ban during a special meeting on October 29, 2020

Chancellor Thurman said in March that while the city had the right to void the contract it could not unilaterally declare a breach by the coalition without a ruling from the court.

Although the county was not a party to this action, Chancellor Thurman said it needed to be because the final outcome could have affected the county. He asked that the county join the case.

Since then the city and coalition renewed talks and crafted an amended agreement to the original lease and contract clarifying more fully the intent and purpose of the documents as well as the specific duties and obligations of the coalition and the city.

While the city will have no control over the operation of the shelter under the amended lease and contract it will have some obligations to the coalition. The city will contribute (pay) to the coalition a base annual sum of $100,000 for the first full year in quarterly installments but the overall payment will increase by $1,000 per year for the next fifteen years.

No shelter employee will be funded or employed by the city. The coalition will be solely responsible for the staffing, management, and operation of the shelter including hiring and termination of employees and will pay all associated costs of their employment including salaries, uniforms, benefit packages, etc.

The city will turn over to the coalition the certificate of title to the animal transport vehicle. Going forward, the coalition will be solely responsible for all maintenance and costs of insurance coverage on the vehicle. The purchase of any subsequent animal transport vehicle will be the responsibility of the coalition.

The city will be responsible for any and all maintenance and repairs to the exterior of the animal shelter building and must continue to insure it with a reputable company in an amount sufficient to replace the structure if destroyed by natural disaster, fire, flood, etc. and shall maintain comprehensive general liability and casualty insurance on the premises. If destroyed, the city will be obligated to rebuild the shelter. It will be up to the coalition to maintain and make repairs to the interior of the shelter and to maintain a policy of comprehensive general liability and casualty insurance for the inside.

The coalition will also pay all recurring monthly utilities as well as lawn care at the shelter and dog park.

As for the dog park, which is located on the shelter premises and was funded by a grant, the city will be responsible for making all repairs but the coalition will be in charge of the dog park’s day to day operation, management, and staffing.

Should the city and coalition have a future disagreement or dispute concerning any issues that may develop from the original lease and contract or from this amended lease and contract, the parties will submit their disagreement to mediation conducted by Rule 31 Listed Mediator, selected by both parties before either shall be permitted to seek relief from any court of competent jurisdiction. Further, each party shall be responsible for paying fully one half of all costs incurred during the mediation process.

August 25, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

A Dowelltown man responsible for a forgery, burglary, and theft earlier this year was sentenced in DeKalb County Criminal Court Monday, August 23.

26 year old Eric Lane Petty entered a plea to forgery, misdemeanor theft, and aggravated burglary. He received a one year sentence for the forgery, 11 months and 29 days on the theft charge, and three years for the burglary offense to run concurrently and all suspended except for six months to serve.

Sheriff Patrick Ray said that on January 27 Petty broke into a trailer at a business on Nashville Highway at Liberty and took a propane tank and hose along with a 4,000 BTU Buddy heater. The total value of the items taken was almost $200.

The same day Petty broke into a residence on Sims Street at Dowelltown and took an Emerson television, weedeater, and other items with a total value of $690.

Five days later on February 1 Petty took a check out of a mailbox on Sims Street in Dowelltown, forged a name on the back of the check, and passed it at a business in Liberty in the amount of $300.

The cases were investigated by sheriff’s department detectives.

A Smithville man charged with breaking into and taking items from a houseboat over a year ago was sentenced in criminal court Monday.

35 year old Christopher Elliott Bradshaw entered a plea to burglary other than a habitation and theft over $1,000. He received a four year sentence in each case to run consecutively for a total of eight years to serve at least 30%.

Sheriff Ray said that on July 28, 2020 Bradshaw broke into a houseboat on Floating Mill Road and took three pairs of Bravan glasses, an iphone, and $200 cash. He also damaged a door to the boat during the burglary. The total value of the stolen items came to $1,800.

One of four people arrested last year for breaking into a Liberty home twice in the same day appeared in criminal court for sentencing Monday.

38 year old Samantha Bee Florida entered a plea to aggravated burglary and received a six year TDOC sentence but was given jail credit of 183 days. She is to make restitution of $7,395 jointly and severally with the other defendants.

Sheriff Ray said deputies responded to a complaint of a prowler around a residence on Old Highway 53 in Liberty and discovered the burglary upon arrival. Detectives were notified and started an investigation which revealed that Florida, 38 year old Kenneth Adam Wright, 34 year old Jonathon David Thomas, and 23 year old Emma Katherine Alverson had broken into the residence twice on May 29, 2020 and stole several items with a total value of $7,395 including an Xbox 360, large red craftsman tool box, record player, paint rollers, 2 trail cameras, plastic tool box, a jump box, samurai katana, DVDs, tea set, hunting blind, Holy Bible vinyl record, shop vac, solar battery charger, antique oil lamp, pots and other miscellaneous items.

The other cases remain pending in court.

26 year old Dustin Kidd entered a plea by criminal information to possession of a schedule II drug (methamphetamine over.5 grams) and received an eight year sentence all suspended to supervised probation. He was fined $2,000.

33 year old Justin Cripps entered a plea by criminal information to vandalism under $1,000 and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended to probation and to run concurrent with a White County case against him.

22 year old Ismael Vicente Viel entered a plea to driving under the influence and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days all suspended except for 48 hours in a DUI Education Center.

47 year old Glen Ray Jones entered a plea to sale and delivery of a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine under .5 grams) and received a four year sentence to run concurrently but suspended to supervised probation TDOC. He was fined $2,000.

54 year old Teresa Darlene Mayo entered a plea to sale and delivery of a schedule II controlled substance (methamphetamine greater than .5 grams) and received an eight year sentence to run concurrently but suspended to supervised TDOC probation.. She was fined $2,000.

52 year old Christopher Todd Storie entered a plea to DUI and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to serve 48 hours at the DUI center in Cookeville. He will lose his license for one year although he will be issued a restricted license. He was fined $350.

21 year old Mark William Green entered a plea to attempting to deliver over .5 grams of a schedule II drug and received a four year sentence suspended to TDOC probation. He was fined $2,000.

28 year old Caroline Rose Guffy entered a plea to reckless endangerment and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended to supervised probation.

59 year old William Doyle Flarity entered a plea to DUI and received a sentence of 11 months and 29 days suspended except for 45 days at the DUI Center in Cookeville. He will lose his license for two years except for a restricted license. He was fined $600.

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