'Misleading' Number From Elmhurst D-205 Leader: Board Member

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst School District 205's superintendent recommended against coronavirus testing this week, saying less than a quarter of families said their students would take the tests.

But a school board member called Superintendent Dave Moyer's number misleading.

For months, the school board has talked about the possibility of testing students and staff. A decision was expected in January, but the board did not make one at Tuesday's meeting. It meets again later this month.

Moyer said a survey indicated only 24 percent of families were interested in participating in voluntary testing.

"That's nowhere near the threshold of 60 percent, so we don't think it's advisable to recommend testing and spend money in that area right now if the participation is not going to warrant the investment," Moyer told the board.

Board member Courtenae Trautmann disagreed with Moyer's use of the number.

"I find it misleading when we say only 24 percent of the community is supportive of testing because you're extrapolating that number based on the number of respondents," Trautmann said.

She said it was disappointing that only 30 percent of families answered the survey. At the same time, she said, 82 percent thought testing was a good idea and that 76 percent supported mandatory testing.

Trautmann said many believed testing would be used as a steppingstone to get to a hybrid of in-person and remote learning, which resumed this week. Instead, she said testing was a tool to make sure students stay in school and get more in the classroom every day.

Moyer said families were told that if they did not respond to the survey, the district would consider them not interested in testing.

Board member Margaret Harrell said she believed 30 percent was a representative sample, although she would have wanted more to respond.

Moyer acknowledged her point.

"I think if we ran the stats on it, it would be considered a significant enough response rate to be generalized," he said.

Board members urged the superintendent to set up a plan for bringing more students into the schools each day.

When the teachers are vaccinated, Trautmann said, "we're going to have to compromise on the six-foot (social distancing) thing. It's not a requirement, it's a recommendation."

Board member Chris Kocinksi said he didn't necessarily agree that the only time to bring more students into the buildings is after vaccines are administered.

"We're serving a community that tremendously values in-person education," Kocinski said. "We need to do all we can to get more kids in these buildings."

Moyer, however, said it would be difficult to increase the number of students in buildings until teachers are vaccinated. Because teachers are older, they are considered more vulnerable to the coronavirus.

He also said state guidelines still say schools need to take social distancing into account. Bringing more students in, he said, would "completely" compromise social distancing.

Board member Jim Collins said state guidelines differ from current research by health departments and universities.

However, Moyer said some of that research was conducted when rates were lower or in countries that shut down for extended times before they reopened schools.

"We are taking into account current research, and I don't like the implication when people suggest we're not," Moyer said. "We follow it every second of every day. That's all we do."

On Thursday, the district announced Moyer was leaving for an out-of-state job. He is taking a job as superintendent of a district based near Poughkeepsie, N.Y. His Elmhurst contract runs through June.

The board next meets Jan. 26.