Mars Area School District administrators discussed the ongoing COVID-19 surge at a Tuesday meeting.

“Unfortunately, it's no big secret that COVID is back, and it's hitting rather hard,” Superintendent Mark Gross said. “We're continuing to monitor that situation.”

Gross said Wednesday that a federal programs committee, which includes parents, teachers, students, board members, community members and administrators, will discuss the spending of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds and review whether any changes to the district's Health and Safety Plan are needed. The group was created this summer.

“(We're going to review all of the things we've been doing with the ESSER funds, trying to make education better for our students, garner support for that, and also get feedback,” Gross said. “The second part, we'll be talking and reviewing our current safety plan, seeing if there are any recommendations to make that even better.”

Gross said that he would report back to the board about the meeting's discussion next week.

He reiterated that Mars's goal is to keep schools open.

“I'd like to say emphatically, barring any objections from the board, our goal is to remain open, and make sure our protocols are in place that keep us as safe as possible, and continue to stay in the business of educating children and making it a safe place,” he said.

Gross plans to discuss quarantine and contact tracing policies with the safety committee. He mentioned reading recently about potentially “over-quarantining asymptomatic children.”

“I think some of the frustration we hear from parents is 'you're sending my child home when there are no symptoms,'” he said. “It's easy for us to send a child home, but we are really creating some home situations that aren't favorable.”

No vote on quarantine policies was held Tuesday, though Gross said the district, “no matter where this goes,” will continue to inform parents if a child is in a contact tracing situation.

Board members also discussed the implementation of Live Stream Interactive, Mars's virtual option for students who are quarantining or who test positive for COVID.Gross said he is “not closed-minded” to reconsidering an expansion of the program.“It was a lifeboat last year; depending on how we wind up, it may need to be a lifeboat again,” he said, while also noting that the process “takes a lot out of our staff.”Board member Megan Lenz said that during the surge, teachers may end up conducting hybrid teaching regardless, if there is at least one student quarantining in their class.“I think it would behoove us to at least consider those children who do have immunocompromised situations, or maybe family members who are extremely immunocompromised who are legitimately quarantined,” she said. “I understand the teachers' concern about making it carte blanche for everyone, but I do think that there are people in this community who truly do need to be protected.”

The board voted to again offer an in-person option for its meetings in the board room at the district's administration office, beginning with next week's meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 11.An online option will remain, and those who wish to provide public comment will be able to speak over Zoom after in-person visitors have spoken.The process is the same one the district had previously used.