Registration requested to help maintain social distancing protocols
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
Residents wishing to address the Whitewater Unified School Board can do so in-person, following a recent decision from the elected body that includes several protocols.
After deliberating through a strictly virtual method for more than a year, Whitewater Unified’s board resumed meeting in-person several months ago, though most gatherings have been limited to the elected body itself and a small handful of staffers.
As with all open meetings, the public was given the opportunity to watch the board deliberate on policy matters, and address the elected body, but only through the chat feature on Zoom. As has long been the case, delayed viewings of board meetings also are possible through Whitewater Community TV and its online Vimeo channel.
At a special meeting Aug. 9, the board hashed over the merits of in-person public participation and considered what safeguards should be in place at a time when COVID-19 still remains a concern.
After a 20-minute debate, the board, on a 6-1 vote, opted to go the in-person route, beginning with the next regular meeting, which is slated for Aug. 23.
However, residents interested in the option will be asked to register in advance to help officials gauge attendance counts and maintain social distancing protocols.
Public attendance, tentatively, has been capped at 50 people, but could be tweaked at the discretion of Superintendent Caroline Pate-Hefty and other administrators.
Board member Steve Ryan, the dissenter, cited concerns with the registration process as a reason for his “no” vote. Prior to casting it, Ryan asked if the district could require public participants show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination before entering the venue of the board meeting.
“It would be very difficult to obtain,” Pate-Hefty said in response to the suggestion. “It’s not required of our employees and certainly not of our students.”
Board member Jim Stewart said he supported the return of in-person visitor participation.
“I hope the intent is to get back to normal,” Stewart said. “I don’t want to curtail people from coming.”
