Official: No reports of MRSA at Sweet Springs schools

Sweet Springs School District Superintendent Boyd Jones reported there have been no cases of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) in the Sweet Springs school district so far.

Jones assured the board that they are taking every precaution available.

"Teachers are sending students to the office to get bandaids on any open cuts," he said. "The school nurse has been sending flyers for personal hygiene home with students.

"We feel like we are doing what is necessary and prudent," he continued. "We are reacting to news."

Methicillin-resistant bacteria are those that don't respond to the most common antibiotics like oxacillin, penicillin and amoxycillin, all members of the methicillin family.

It can be treated with other antibiotics, however.

MRSA is not an airborne bacteria. It requires skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or with objects handled by someone with MRSA.

In other business, High School Principal Mike Smith told the board that on Thursday, Nov. 1, five individuals form different schools came to the high school and gave a mock A+ review.

"This gives us a sense of where we are with A+ schools," he said. "We are going above and beyond to prepare."

Board member Rodney Heaper thanked Smith for all the hard work he has been doing with the A+ program.

The board set filing dates and filing will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 8 a.m. and will end on Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008. Filing may be accomplished during normal working days at the Office of the Superintendent.

Filing requirements are a candidate must be a U.S. citizen; resident taxpayer of the district who has resided in Missouri for one year preceding election; and be at least 24 years of age.

The terms of three board members are up in April 2008: Philip Clevenger, Jack Thomas and Robert Fuehring.

Any newly elected board member is required by state law to successfully complete orientation and training requirements within one year of the date of election.

The orientation and training shall consist of at least 16 hours with the cost of such training to be paid by the district.

Jones gave a report on the outcome of the Annual Performance Report (APR) by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

"The key thing is that we met 14 out of the 14 possible," he said. "This is the first year that we have achieved a perfect score."

"I think it is pretty impressive," said John Dohrman, board president.

Jones said a lot of teachers have been saying, "We met the goal! In this era that is becoming a rarer and rarer feat."

In other business, the board discussed the purchase of two new wireless score boards for the softball/baseball fields. The board approved the purchase of two 14- by 5-foot score boards instead of 9- by 4-foot boards.

"I think the smaller score boards are going to look really small compared to the old boards," Jones said.

The lighting should be completed along with the new boards, Jones said, and then both fields will be fixes. The district already has most of the lights and the brackets have been built by the Ag mechanics department.

Dohrman said the district has received a donation from First Community Bank for $2,000 towards one of the boards.

Traci Heimsoth, social studies teacher, updated the board on the Washington, D.C., trip.

"We have been accepted by another group," she said. The group is from a small town outside of Tallahassee, Fla. and has around 30 ninth-graders. She has been corresponding with the principal and the math teacher from that school.

"The plane tickets are ordered," she said. Sweet Springs will be sending 12 students total from grades eight through 10.

Heimsoth is able to have an accompanying chaperon since she has 12 students.

Heimsoth will be rooming with the six girls on the trip while Brent Snyder, social studies teacher, will be rooming with the six boys.

She assured the board that the students will be supervised at all times and will remain in a group without being split up during tours. "They have security guards that tour the hallways throughout the night."

"Sounds like everything finally fell into place," Dohrman said.

"She did a good job," Thomas said of Heimsoth's hard work organizing this trip.

The next board meeting will be Monday, Dec. 10, at 8:30 p.m. in the board's meeting room at the elementary school.