With only three people in attendance, Poplarville School District’s board room was almost empty during Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting to discuss COVID-19.

Superintendent Konya Miller and Chief Financial Officer Samantha Sandifer were in the board room with a representative of the Item, while the Board members telephoned into the meeting through a conference call.

Still, the Board adhered to its regular protocol, opening the meeting with a prayer from Board member Jason Baker, followed by the pledge of allegiance.

The Board approved the emergency closure resolution, which keeps the Poplarville schools closed until April 17. The resolution gives Miller authorization to take care of day-to-day operations to get essential District functions done and authorization to make emergency purchases of up to $500,000. The District is also running a summer food service program during the school closure, which allows anyone 18 and younger to pickup free grab and go bags that include a lunch and breakfast from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Middle School of Poplarville on Mondays through Fridays.

Miller updated the Board that the District’s teachers are working from home from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teachers have made over 650 phone calls to parents. In the phone calls, teachers check in with parents about what resources their families need, make sure parents know about the child nutrition food service and make sure parents have received the practice worksheets that were mailed out to students. The phone calls have given the school district a lot of information about what questions parents have and what needs families in the district have during the school closure, Miller told the Board.

There are 50 employees in the district who are still working at the school’s seven facilities to keep the District running.