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DALLAS TWP. &mdash; Dallas School District Superintendent Thomas Duffy said the district is hoping to move from the current hybrid plan &mdash; one group of students in school while the other learns live online &mdash; to having all students back in class after the Thanksgiving break.
				Duffy brought up the goal near the end of a brief regular School Board meeting Monday, attended by audience members via Zoom. He stressed that plans remain fluid as data regarding the spread of COVID-19 changes, and that the district could also have to &ldquo;transfer to completely online for a short amount of time.&rdquo;
				Duffy also announced the district is working on holding some sort of Halloween parade for students in kindergarten through fifth grade, though he said it may require parents and family to &ldquo;participate online.&rdquo; Plans should be finalized and announced this week.
				And he said the district is working toward re-establishing a tutoring program, previously offered before and after school for students who need help in specific areas. Usually the program began in the second semester, &ldquo;but we&rsquo;re looking to start as soon as possible,&rdquo; with students in &ldquo;very small groups&rdquo; to maintain social distancing during in-person lessons. One reason to start as soon as possible is to make up for any academic losses students experienced last spring when the state abruptly ordered all schools closed March 16, forcing districts to shift to remote-learning with little preparation.
				The meeting opened with a live demonstration by some custodial and cleaning staff of procedures in disinfecting classrooms and the cafeteria at Wycallis Elementary, followed by presentations of certificates to buildings and ground staff in appreciation of their work during the pandemic.
				The meeting ended with Board President Kristin Pitarra asking for a moment of silence to commemorate the passing of Kathy Wega, a former longtime board member who served from 2006 to 2019. She decided not to run for re-election last year. Prior to joining the board, Wega had taught in the district for 37 years. She died Sept 30 at the age of 73.
				The voting session of the meeting had few highlights.
				The board approved payment of $478,350 to Detwiler Roofing LLC for roof replacement work at the Middle School. The board also approve a procedural resolution regarding the roof, arranging to pay for some work from the general fund and reimburse the fund once planned borrowing for the project is finalized.
				And the board approved two settlement agreements with the district Educational Support Personnel Association regarding assigning duties of the transportation secretary to members of the support staff union.

Dallas hoping to have all students return to school after Thanksgiving