Unused Anniston school to serve as COVID treatment center

Aug. 27—Classroom attendance at Anniston High School is down to approximately 30-40 students, schools Superintendent Ray Hill told the Anniston Board of Education during a called meeting Thursday. All the rest of the high school's enrollment has been quarantined due to possible exposure to the COVID-19 virus.

This news comes in addition to Anniston Middle School having almost every student quarantined and Randolph Park Elementary having a large number of students asked to quarantine as well.

"We should start seeing some of those students back on Monday, because different groups went home at different times," Hill said. "Randolph Park, I think, started seeing some students come back yesterday and today, and of course more [will come back] next week."

Hill is hopeful that Labor Day will provide a break and serve as a reset point; though Calhoun County continues to rank high on the Alabama Department of Public Health's community transmission dashboard, with a 26 percent positivity rate in the last seven days.

"I'm hoping the break over the weekend of Labor Day will kind of provide a gap as well," Hill said. "I just hope. We see — hopefully — there is a light at the end of the tunnel here."

The board is also looking into trying to utilize some space for COVID-19 testing, but plans haven't been finalized or brought before the board. Hill also said that the school district isn't in a place where it could start offering COVID-19 vaccinations, due to legal issues and public perception.

Hill stressed the importance of vaccinations, wearing masks and proper quarantining.

"We are the only district — right now — in this area that is requiring masks. I'm not saying they are the end to everything, but I know that they have helped many in situations that probably would have been infected had they not had their masks on. So, it is very important."

In addition to looking into the possibility of a testing site, Hill informed the board that Tenth Street Elementary School's cafeteria will soon be used by Regional Medical Center as a location for monoclonal antibody treatment.

RMC has been offering the treatment in the Tyler Center, but needs more space to treat an increasing number of COVID patients, said Dr. Raul Magadia, an infectious disease specialist who works with RMC's COVID patients.

Monoclonal antibody treatment — which is available only with a doctor's referral — is used to treat patients with mild to moderate COVID symptoms, in the hopes of keeping them out of the hospital, Magadia explained.

The current clinic is treating 18-20 patients a day — more than four times the number it was treating a month ago, Magadia said.

With the addition of a clinic at Tenth Street Elementary, RMC could possibly treat upwards of 30 people a day, he said. A specific start date for the clinic was not given.

"We have the medicine. We could get the staffing. We need a bigger place," Magadia said. "Like they say in that movie, 'We need a bigger boat.'"

School board members voted earlier this year to shutter Tenth Street and divide its students between Randolph Park and Golden Springs elementary schools, due to falling enrollment numbers.

The now vacant building will be used by RMC for approximately five or six days, according to Hill. RMC will sanitize the building before and after it uses the space, and because the treatment is done only with a doctor's referral, there are no foreseen traffic or parking issues.

Board member and vice president Joan Frazier said she is glad the board can help the community in this way.

"We are fortunate to have the space to help them do what they need to do," Frazier said.

During the meeting, the board also unanimously voted to approve a bid with Bradshaw & Pitts to renovate the girls physical education and girls basketball locker rooms at Anniston High School. Both locker rooms will be remodeled in similar fashion to the boys locker room that was recently renovated. By state request, the completed locker rooms will include an Americans with Disabilities Act compliant shower each. The total cost of the renovation is estimated at $131,000. The renovations will include new paint, drywall repairs, new epoxy floors, renovated showers, additional storage units and locker repainting.

The board also unanimously voted to approve the budget for fiscal 2022. The budget was discussed in length at previous board meetings. Total expenditures are projected to be $18,197,203, and the general fund budget will be in the black by a sum of $1,790,139.35 for the upcoming year. The budget includes $19,850,725 in total revenue plus some additional revenue of $136,617.35. Johanna Martin, chief school financial officer, said she is confident in the budget and she feels this is a "solid budget leading into 2022."

The board approved the sale of a lot on Lehman Avenue to Bethel Missionary Baptist Church. The lot, which sits near Randolph Park Elementary, was appraised by the county tax appraisal office and will be sold to the church for the amount appraised.