Wayland Union School students, faculty and staff will return to the classrooms, hallways and offices full time starting next Monday for the first time since March 13.

The Board of Education Monday evening took note of the milestone by reconfirming its commitment to resuming full-time in-person learning in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.

“Let us please return safely,” cautioned Board President Dan Cassini. “We’ve got a lot riding on this.”

Supt. Dr. Christina Hinds added that because of the attempted return to normalcy, “We are not able to practice social distancing as much as before. We’re depending heavily on masking up (for safety vs. Covid-19). If someone is not wearing a mask, we need to find out why and then take appropriate action.”

She added that common sense practices will be encouraged when students are changing classes and using the hallways as a result.

The superintendent also said she and other district leaders are asking the Michigan Department of Health to allow school boards to meet in person sooner than March 30 because it doesn’t square with letting kids back in the classrooms and student-athletes in the sports arenas later this month.

Dr. Hinds added that she and other administrators are working on hiring 13 long-term guest teachers to mitigate the problems associated with staffing problems that have arisen because of Covid.

In other business Monday night, the board:

• Approved the purchase of a Stryker Life-Pack defibrillator from Aventric Heart for $24,960.
• Agreed to pay Bristol Roofing $24,900 for metal strip repairs to the Transportation Building. There are plans in place for demolishing the old CCA building to make way for more parking space.
• Approved purchase of two school buses at $93,321 apiece through use of revenue sharing funds from the Gun Lake Casino. If a grant comes through, the cost for both could be reduced to $139,982.
• Agreed to renew a two-year contract with Spectrum Health for athletic trainer services at a cost of $20,000 this year and $20,600 in 2021-22. Hinds said Spectrum forgave part of last year’s bill because of less activity with Covid-19.
• Decided to purchase a GMC food service truck from Todd Wenzel Buick for $41,758.
• Voted to extend the district’s waste pickup contract with Republic until June 30 and then seek bids afterward.
• Approved the middle school students’ trip to Washington D.C in October, provided the Covid crisis has abated.