Some Lincoln Parish Parents Want to HomeSchool until Vaccine

According to Lincoln School District Superintendent Mike Milstead, about 25% of parents will not physically send their children to area schools this fall, and will opt to use online learning.

“It looks like 25.4% plan to educate their children at home. In the comments section of that survey the reason for that was that they wanted to keep them at home until there was a vaccine,” he said.

Milstead said he would be meeting with principals this week to discuss plans for opening next month, and would notify the public next week.

Regarding transportation, Milstead said that with the reduced attendance, there may be enough bus capacity to transport the children without double routes. About half the students ride buses, he said.

Milstead said that although students would be required to wear masks, there would likely be no ‘discipline referral’ for students who might have problems with masks all day long.

“We are going to urge principals and teachers to be very lax about kids, reminding them to keep their masks on. The typical 8-year old is not going be able to keep that mask on all day,” he said

Milstead also talked about sports and the “very possible” chance that all fall high school sports might be cancelled. He said that it would be a problem for some students, as sports are a motivating factor for them.

The decision on the sports would be made at the state level, he said.

Milstead’s remarks came during his comment period at last night’s meeting of the Lincoln Parish School Board.

Earlier in the meeting, the board voted to authorize insurance consultant Brown & Brown to conduct a complete survey of the district’s medical insurance plan. Costs have grown over the past few years, and the study will attempt to locate areas of cost savings and report results to the board.

Here’s the memo.