Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Tifton, Georgia
GrapeNew
PROPOSAL: OPEN TIFT SCHOOLS ON AUG. 7; REQUIRE MASKS ON SCHOOL BUSES
By FRANK SAYLES JR.
Tifton Grapevine
During a marathon workshop meeting Tuesday night, Tift County Schools Superintendent Adam Hathaway asked the Tift County Board of Education (BOE) to delay school opening by four days until Friday, Aug. 7 , to allow teachers more time to prepare.

Hathaway and other system officials spent two-and-a-half hours of the meeting briefing BOE members on proposals to open schools next month during the pandemic.

Proposals, which haven’t yet been adopted, include requiring masks on school buses and encouraging masks inside school buildings when social distancing is difficult.

The school board meets in regular session Thursday , and a final plan could be approved then.

“It’s a highly emotional situation,” Hathaway said. “There are a variety of opinions about how we restart. I know that the emotional part of this is important."

But Hathaway added: “As we make decisions, it is important that we, as an organization, look to science. ... Science has got to drive our decision-making ."

The school system has proposed a "community spread plan” relating to the coronavirus , and the Ga. Department of Public Health (DPH) “has signed off” on it, the superintendent said.

The plan would set three conditions – Green, Yellow and Red : Green would mean schools are open in a traditional manner with enhanced precautions and protocols; Yellow would involve scenarios such as staggered classes to minimize spread of the virus; and Red would mean a school shutdown.
To assess the Green level, the community spread of the virus would be 0-5 percent of the population during the previous 14 days; Yellow would be 5.01-10 percent; anything above 10 percent of the population would be Red .

The spread would be determined by dividing the current number of positive cases in Tift County with the county’s population . As of Tuesday night, Hathaway said, “The county is at 0.69 percent. which would put us in Green ."

He explained the percentage is a result of 281 positive cases during the previous 14 days divided by a population of 40,644 . Even if one looks at the total number of cases in Tift since virus tracking began in March , the county would still be in Green at 2.29 percent, Hathaway said.

The superintendent said he would work with the DPH each week to assess the community spread for the previous 14 days in order to determine the level. A specific school could find itself in a different level than the rest of the school system, based on its number of cases, he said.
“We will move forward very deliberately and intentionally ,” Hathaway said. “A decision that we make today may be undone in two weeks. ... This is a fluid situation, and it’s changing constantly."

Any parent may opt for a student to stay home and receive online instruction, but that determination must be made by July 21 . Hathaway said a student opting for online instruction may still participate in programs and extracurricular activities, but must meet individual program requirements.

School board members discussed mask requirements, with several members asking about the difference between requiring masks on buses because of a lack of social distancing versus not requiring them inside schools when social distancing may also be difficult or impossible. Some members said the requirements should be uniform.

Hathaway noted that “going back (at level) Green does not look like going back last August .” But he added that parents should “understand that your child will be close to other children. ... We’re not going to hold them prisoner ; they are going to be able to get out for recess ."
GA COVID-19 CASES GROW BY 3,394; TIFT COUNTY NEARS 1,000 TOTAL CASES
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Georgia grew by 3,394 on Tuesday, 249 fewer cases than was reported Monday, the Ga. Department of Public Health said.

The state has reported a total 123,963 cases with 3,054 deaths; Tift County has a total of 999 cases with 28 deaths and total hospitalizations of 124 .

Critical-care beds have been filling up in a nine-county area that includes Tift and Lowndes counties, according to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA).

As of Tuesday, GEMA reported only four critical-care beds available within the nine counties, with 69 critical-care beds in use. Statewide , 16 percent of critical-care beds remain available, GEMA reported.

Testing in Georgia has also ramped up considerably. As of Tuesday, more than 1.13 million people had been tested in the state, which has a 10 percent positivity rate.
ABAC TEAMS, ATHLETES RECEIVE
NJCAA ACADEMIC HONORS
The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has announced the 2019-20 Academic Teams of the Year , and four teams from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College made the list.

Despite an academic year that was interrupted by COVID-19 , NJCAA student-athletes flourished in the classroom as 1,026 teams around the country earned at least a 3.0 GPA or better, the NJCAA said.

Individual student athletes from ABAC also received honors – 24 of them earned All-Academic status.

ABAC teams earning academic honors are: Men’s Tennis , with a combined grade-point average (GPA) of 3.52 (seventh-highest among NJCAA schools); Softball , with a 3.63 GPA (13th highest); Women’s Tennis , 3.5 GPA; and Men’s Golf, 3.02 GPA.

Among ABAC athletes earning All-Academic status, with at least a 3.6 GPA, are:

First Team All-Academic Abbey Adkins (softball), Taylor Haddock (soccer), Jessica Lindsey (women’s tennis), Tiago Marques (men’s tennis), Kati Mills (softball) and Karli Williams (softball).

Second Team All-Academic Desirae Beachem (softball), Arianna Calcatelli (women’s tennis), Lorenzo Del Biondo (men’s tennis), Chloe Evans (soccer), Sheridan Lowry (soccer), Amber Maxwell (softball), Taylor Middleton (softball), Irene Romero Redondo (women’s tennis) and Bailey Spires (softball).

Third Team All-Academic Joshua Campbell (golf), Melissa Escalante Alvarado (soccer), Jenna Hickman (softball), Caleb Lanoux (baseball), Kenneth Limyadi (tennis), Phuong Pham (men’s tennis), Katie Royals (softball), Matt Terrill (baseball) and Olivia Wright (soccer).
GROUPS CREATE PEANUT FEDERATION FOR UNIFIED INDUSTRY VOICE
Peanut growers, shellers and buying points have formed the U.S. Peanut Federation to be a united voice in Washington, D.C., for the peanut industry .

"I commend the associations for joining forces to advocate for our nation’s peanut industry which plays an important role in feeding not only our country but also the world," said U.S. Rep. Austin Scott , R-Ga., of Tifton .

"As times get tough for our country, it is important to concentrate efforts in a unified voice to better our peanut industry in rural America, and I look forward to seeing the positive impacts of this new partnership.”

The Federation is comprised of the Southern Peanut Farmers Federation , the American Peanut Shellers Association and the National Peanut Buying Points Association . The organizations that make up the newly founded national federation have a history of serving its members and communities to support the peanut industry.
KEEP TIFT BEAUTIFUL NAMES
JULY’S BEAUTY SPOT
The Keep Tift Beautiful (KTB) committee congratulates Cynthia Hendricks at 1008 Hall Ave., Tifton , for having the KTB Beauty Spot of the Month
'GREAT GEORGIA POLLINATOR CENSUS' RETURNS IN AUGUST
Students and families may participate in the second annual Great Georgia Pollinator Census on Aug. 21-22 coordinated by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension .

About 4,500 participants documented more than 131,000 insect sightings as part of the inaugural census in 2019 , and more than 100 events related to the project took place around the state.  

This year's count may look different with social distancing recommendations, but organizers are encouraging participants to plan on counting pollinators at home, whether solo or with their families.

Census takers are asked to count pollinators on a favorite pollinator plant with abundant insect activity for 15 minutes each day using the provided observation sheet.

“The goals of the project are to gather data on pollinator insect populations, foster pollinator habitats and increase entomological literacy about these insects,” said Becky Griffin, UGA Extension school garden and pollinator census coordinator.

If you can’t tell a honey bee from a bumble bee, don’t worry. An Insect Counting and Identification Guide gives detailed instructions on counting and photo examples for classification, which is helpful, since there are more than 500 bee species reported in the state.

Those interested may visit  ggapc.org  to sign up and subscribe to the monthly newsletter about pollinator gardening and insect identification. 

The project’s Facebook group,  Georgia Pollinator Census , has grown to nearly 1,500 members and includes educational resources such as videos and files available for teachers to use in the classroom.
AVAILABLE NOW THROUGHOUT JULY!
TIFTON GRAPEVINE'S PET OF THE WEEK
There are many available cats for immediate adoption at the Tift County Animal Shelter .  Visit the Animal Shelter from 1-6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, or call 229-382-PETS (7387).
Pets of the Week are sponsored by:
Branch's Veterinary Clinic
205 Belmont Ave., Tifton, 229-382-6055
'GRAND CELEBRATION' PLANNED FOR
INITIAL COMPLETION OF RAILWAY
– JULY 14, 1899
A group of Tifton businessmen are planning a “ grand celebration and barbecue ” to celebrate completion of the first 15 miles of the Tifton-Thomasville & Gulf Railway . Briggs Carson was appointed chair of the celebration, and C.W. Fulwood, S.M. Clyatt and T.B. Young are on the planning committee. Plans are for a big “barbecue , enough to feed South Georgia , free lemonade and plenty of ice water ."
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