NV R-IV schools to look for new health insurance carrier – darnews.com

Neelyville schools will look for a new health insurance carrier after a proposed 9.3% increase from the current provider.

The school board received an update this month on renewal information from Education Benefit Association regarding health insurance with Anthem. The broker is Wallstreet Group.

“We are looking at a 9.3% increase,” said Superintendent Debra Parish, who along met with many of the Southeast Missouri superintendents in the EBA consortium.

The group decided it would solicit a quote from Ozark Schools Benefits Association, which also has Anthem. It is the group’s understanding the broker, Capstone Insurers, is a sister company to Wallstreet Group.

“We also met with Missouri Unified Health Plan who has CIGNA,” Parish said, “We look to get information from them regarding coverage costs. Thus, while we hate to change insurances every two, three years, we are seeking the best price we can for our district.”

COVID safety procedures

In other business, the board is also looking at COVID-19 procedures.

The COVID-19 update included five positive cases while one is awaiting testing and five have Flu A. The attendance Feb. 15 was 88%.

School districts had been advised to have the Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan approved each month.

“We did an extensive review in December with revision,” Parish said. “We then did another update Jan. 5, 2022 reflecting new information from the CDC. The SRSP can be found on our Homepage. These are the procedures if we have a confirmed case of COVID-19.”

The action plan for a confirmed case of a communicable disease is: Section 167.191, RSMo sets forth a standard regarding communicable disease and school attendance which includes: “It is unlawful for any child to attend any of the public schools in this state while afflicted with any contagious or infectious disease, or while liable to transit such disease after having been exposed to it.”

In the event a staff member or student receives a positive COVID-19 test, the following procedures will be followed in order to adhere to this Missouri statute:

The school nurse, Chanda Pogue at 573-989-3813 x 125 should be notified if any staff or student tests positive for COVID-19. Any staff member or student who tests positive will be excluded from school and school activities for five days from the onset of symptoms if they are asymptomatic or the symptoms are resolving (without fever for 24 hours) followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.

The school nurse will notify, to the extent possible by applicable privacy laws, teachers, staff, and families of students who were close contacts as soon as possible (within the same day if possible) after they are notified that someone in the school has tested positive.

The school nurse will instruct teachers, staff, and families of close contacts to monitor for symptoms and recommend masking for a period of 14 days. The school nurse will recommend isolation and consult a health care professional if symptoms develop during the 14 day period.

Guidance for positive athletes:

· Must be asymptomatic after five days.

· Must be released by physician before they begin the five stages of return to play.

· Must not allow participation by any player displaying symptoms with no negative test.

Lagoon

Greg Bell from Smith & Company Engineers has also completed the plans and the bid specifications for the upgrade to the Hillview lagoon. He is moving forward with the bidding process. The bids will be opened at 10 a.m. March 8 in the Central Office. These will be reviewed by Smith & Company with a recommendation being made to the board at the March board meeting.

The next board meeting will be March 24.