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PAGE 6 ASSOCIATED NEWSPAPERS OF MICHIGAN November 5, 2020

Schools
SUMPTER

FROM PAGE 1 SUMPTER

began the year at 100 percent
virtual learning for middle and
high school students and will Board continues to probe false claims
review the plan, as required,
this month. Last week, the
members of the board of edu- The election may be over, but ” the steward of the township
cation unanimously approved members of the Sumpter Unpaid water billings or tax obligations monies and that Bednark knew
a resolution for secondary stu- Township Board of Trustees still there was no money missing from
dents in grades 6-12 to continue have some concerns about inac- are not missing money. They may be any township account.
receiving instruction in a fully curate and misleading political delinquent but they are not missing. “Unpaid water billings or tax
virtual model through the end claims made during the cam- obligations are not missing
of the first semester on Jan. 22. paign. money. They may be delinquent
The resolution also specified At the meeting of the board priety or any discrepancy in any ting it to Clark for his response. but they are not missing,” Young
that opportunities for in-per- members Oct. 27, Trustee Tim of the accounts. Trustee Matt Oddy said that said.
son support will be provided Rush asked township attorney The claims, however, were the board members had taken the Trustee Tim Rush said that
for students with academic and Rob Young about the status of his taken seriously by the administra- allegations seriously and noted this misinformation has contin-
social-emotional needs, includ- investigation into false allegations tion and Supervisor John Morgan that current Treasurer Kenneth ued to spread through the com-
ing specialized classes, made by Jim Clark, a candidate suggested that Young determine Bendark had reversed his munity and that he was asked
throughout the remainder of for township treasurer. In pub- where Clark might have gotten endorsement of Clark due to the about it while shopping.
the first semester. lished claims, Clark had incor- such misinformation. erroneous claims. Oddy said “We have an AA minus bond
Superintendent of Plymouth rectly stated that there was a Young told the board trustees when amounts were so specific, rating, the audits found no irregu-
Canton Community Schools large amount of money missing that he had nothing new to report, the board had an obligation to larities, no anomalies,” he said.
Monica Merritt urged strict from township bank accounts. although his review had been investigated. “This allegation was made to
safety precautions. Clark offered no proof of the extensive and was not yet com- “He should be held account- damage the current administra-
“We encourage all members claim and the township recently plete. He said he had not yet con- able and responsible for his tion,” Rush said.
of our school community to completed two independent tacted Clark as he wanted to actions,” Oddy said. Young said he would continue
adhere to recommended audits of the finances which insure he had all the other infor- Young replied that it is the to investigate the matter, although
health and safety practices for determined there was no impro- mation collected prior to submit- obligation of the treasurer to be it was taking a great deal of time.
mitigating the spread of
COVID-19. This includes wear- Firefighters seniority, experience recognized
ing a face covering or mask
when in close proximity with
others, practicing frequent While the pandemic has delayed an offi- Years; Firefighter Colleen Armatis - 4.2 years;
hand washing, allowing for cial recognition, Sumpter Township firefight- Firefighter Brian Blackburn - 4 years;
physical distancing whenever ers can expect a formal board tribute marking Firefighter David Behrendt - 3.2 years;
possible, and staying home their exemplary service as soon as it is safe. Firefighter Sonya Ingle - 2.8 years; Firefighter
when sick and watching for Members of the board of trustees accepted Kenneth Myers - 2.4 years; Firefighter Rachel
potential symptoms of illness a large framed photo tribute to the firefighters Scott - 1.7 years; Firefighter Richard
before going to school each day. and acknowledged the long seniority and Landskroener - 1 year; Firefighter Benjamin
We know it's hard, but when years of service many of the members of the Combs - 1 year; Firefighter Joseph Jackson - 9
possible, stay away from gath- department had already completed. months; Firefighter Chris Zweng - 3 months;
erings and other indoor activi- Trustees said they will formally recognize Firefighter James Beaumont - a new hire;
ties that increase the spread of members of the department with more than Firefighter Jacob Kosikowski - a new hire; Chief Lieutenant
COVID-19,” she said. 10 years of service including Chief Joseph Chaplain Rhonda Overman - 8 years; Joseph Januszyk Rick Sliwa
Superintendent of Romulus Januszyk - 43 years; Lt. Rick Sliwa - 43 years; Chaplain John Swoffer - 4 years and Chaplain
Community Schools Dr. Battalion Chief John Krushlin - 35 years; Jordena Swoffer - 4 years.
Benjamin P. Edmonson also Deputy Chief Rick Brown - 35 years; Battalion Resident Mary Mann spoke to the mem-
urged safety precautions but Chief Timothy Armstrong - 22 years; Captain bers of the board about her recent interaction
noted that his district is at 100 Michael McHenry - 20 years; Lt. Michael with the fire department and noted that
percent virtual classes. He said Wisniewski - 18 years; Firefighter Donald Blackburn and Armatis were exemplary in
he fully understands what an LaPorte - 14 years; Captain Walter Thompson helping her after a recent fall in her home.
inconvenience that is for many - 10 years. “They kept me calm, got myself trapped in
families, but that the safety of Firefighters with fewer than 10 years my own bedroom,” she explained. “They
the students and the staff have include: Firefighter Eric Long - 7 years; Lt. were there within 5 minutes. We have a won-
to be a priority. Jamie Krushlin - 6.3 years; Lt. Jamie Goode - derful fire department and police depart- Battalion Chief Deputy Chief
“I certainly don't like it,” he 5.6 years; Firefighter Shauna McCall - 4.9 ment,” she said. John Krushlin Rick Brown
said, “because I don't consider
myself a virtual superinten-
dent,” noting that he enjoys
personal interaction with both
the students and the staff mem-
bers.
He said that the virtual
learning would continue until
the end of the semester in
January.
In the Wayne Westland
schools, online learning will
continue until at least Jan. 20.
Superintendent of Schools
John Dignan said the format
would continue while the
COVID-19 cases are increasing.
The district had planned to
bring students back next week,
but that will not happen with
the new restrictions. Dignan
said that the current situation
does offer some stability to stu-
dents and families who have
established new routines.
Dignan noted that the district
is also concerned and paying
attention to the mental health
of students as the online learn-
ing continues. He said the cur-
rent situation is far from per-
fect but does keep staff and stu-
dents healthy.
When in-person classes
resume, Dignan said, parents
and students will have an
option to continue the all-
online classes.
In Northville, where the stu-
dents have been placed in
quarantine, Gallagher said that
up to this latest spike through-
out the state, feedback has
been favorable “with students,
staff, and families demonstrat-
ing tremendous flexibility and
adapting very quickly to follow-
ing the health and safety proto-
cols we have in place at
school.”
In a letter to parents regard-
ing the situation, Gallagher
said, “We do not, thus far, have
any evidence of positive cases
of COVID-19 tracing back to
exposure at school or during
school hours, and the number
of students quarantined as a
result of close contacts at
school has been minimal up to
this point.”
She noted that health offi-
cials will be monitoring the risk
of spread throughout the com-
munity to ensure the safety of
in person learning.