"We're not just relying on the search firm. We're also going to do our own random calls not just from the list of references they give us," said Melissa Amundsen, one of the board members involved in the search firm selection process.
On Friday morning, the district had 91 staff absence requests for the upcoming Monday. By comparison, there were 369 absences on Jan. 10. Students started distance learning Jan. 18.
According to the Rochester Public School District's COVID-19 dashboard, there were 300 cases reported during the week of Jan. 17-23, marking the first downward trend since the new year.
Interim Superintendent Kent Pekel is expected to give an update to the board on the switch to distance learning, as well as how this affects his Safe and Open Schools Plan.