Sanitation is discussed at EPSB meeting

The Evangeline Parish School Board discussed the cost of sanitizing school busses against COVID-19 at Wednesday’s meeting. They also heard about internet connectivity solutions and issues as it relates to virtual learning.
First Student bussing service submitted an outline of costs which are for disinfecting 86 busses twice daily. The daily cost per bus is $1.14. Daily cost for 86 busses is $98.04, and the monthly cost for 86 busses is $1,764.72. First Student said in the summation of costs, “Bus disinfecting will be performed after each route, both a.m. and p.m., by the bus driver applying disinfectant inside of the bus.”
School Board President Wayne Dardeau asked Hubert Mabe with First Student how they can guarantee the busses will be disinfected. Mabe said they have video cameras on the busses. The cameras run when the busses are on and for several minutes after the keys are turned off. Even though the cameras go off after a few minutes, there are still motion sensors active. If someone is on the bus and the key is not on, the horn blows and, according to Mabe, “The bus gets very, very loud at that point.”
First Student Regional Route Manager Will Love said the drivers will sign off each day, each time they disinfect the busses. Their disinfecting activity log will be turned in each Friday to the company office where the data will be recorded. He also requested the staff check the cameras to make sure the busses are being disinfected.
Board member Karen Vidrine asked why First Student does not have to pay for their own disinfectant. Love said it is a cost beyond the daily operations of the busses. “It’s something new to everyone. We went out of our way to try our best to cut the costs down.” He said they have to pay the drivers’ labor costs to do it. “It’s not a cost we incur on our own.”
Board member Peggy Forman asked if bus drivers have to make two runs would they be paid for their second run. Love said yes, the drivers will get paid for that. Deshotel said the school board will be paying for it. Forman said, “We pay for the gas.” Deshotel asked Love if the extra pay for the drivers would be included in the school board’s cost. Love said, “That’s true.”
Dardeau said a driver is assigned to pick up a certain amount of children. Because of COVID restrictions, they cannot pick them all up at once, but it should still count as one route, not two. Love said once the drivers drop off the children at the designated area, which would be the school, that is considered a route each time.
School board vice president Scott Limoges said the executive committee should look into the contract to determine who is responsible for the cost of paying drivers for extra bus routes. Forman agreed to look further into the contract for the executive committee, which will be held Tuesday, August 25, at 2 p.m.
Also in the board meeting, the board heard from Technology Coordinator John Deranger who said he and his technicians delivered 300 laptops to the schools for teachers and administrators. He said Chromebooks are a hot topic. He ordered 1,100 from the manufacturer, but they have gotten three delays from the company. Currently, the delivery date is set for the second week of September. “That is beyond our control,” said Deranger, adding the company said there is no way to expedite it because the demand for Chromebooks is “through the roof right now.” He said they are trying to best they can to get them in the hands of students. The district still has over 4,500 Chromebooks. “We’re in pretty good shape as far as our virtual school,” but said the younger students might have to be put on hold until they get the other Chromebooks.
One issue when it comes to virtual learning is many students in the parish do not have internet access to their homes. Deranger said the schools will be provided with outdoor access points, mounted on the outside of each school to help with internet access. For months the district has been trying to find an answer as to providing connectivity to all students. Meetings were held with various companies, including Centurylink, AT&T and the Phone Service Commission, and with Representative Rhonda Butler and Senator Heather Cloud, trying to get internet access to all students. The issue proves to be difficult and costly, with fiber optic cable for the whole parish being too expensive.
Currently, there are around 1,400 students enrolled in Evangeline Virtual Academy (EVA.) The district has also bought 1,500 hot spots to aid with connectivity. The board was informed the teachers have been attending a virtual bootcamp where they have put in many hours training with programs and techniques to teach virtually.
In his closing comments, Lazard said they have allocated money to principals to give to teachers, aiding them in purchasing supplies needed for their classrooms in regards to COVID-19. Some principals have chosen plexiglass or clear shower curtains to help maintain social distancing in the classrooms. These items are needed because many classrooms are not big enough to allow for six feet of space in between students.