School committee looks at impact of ending ‘Brain Breaks’
Parents and students have gotten used to the district providing free meals to students but it is unclear whether or not this will continue into the upcoming school year. Last Wednesday June 15, the board discussed the implication of taking away these meals during a Board of Education Policy Committee Meeting. Taking away these free meals would mean taking away the Brain Breaks the high school was recently providing for students who missed breakfast before coming to class. These breaks took place after the first hour and students were given time to grab a few snacks from the cafeteria before their next class. This was a benefi cial system for students and if the district begins charging for meals the school will no longer be able to have these Brain Breaks unless funding is found to do so.
The board members that were present were Jodi Nuernberger the chair of the policy committee, Aemus Balsis, and Corey Dassow. Pat Sullivan the District Administrator, and Charlie Heckel the Rural Virtual Academy (RVA) Administrator, were also in attendance.
The meeting began with a second reading of four policies. These policies were all in relation to the RVA and included the following; attendance/participation, entrance age for students , transfer/ home-based students, and child abuse/ neglect reporting. The members made line edits and clarifications. A motion to accept changes was made and the meeting moved on to the next section on the agenda.
The temporary administrative arrangement policy appoints a member of the administrative staff to act for the district if the district administrator cannot be reached. During the annual review of the policy, the board members rearranged the list of staff members who are applicable for this temporary position. The list is as follows; Laura Lundy the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, Dan Miller the Medford elementary school principal, and Jill Lybert the Medford high school principal.
A first reading was done for three policies all involving the RVA. These policies included student awards and scholarships, the WI Academic Excellence Higher Education Scholarship program, and the WI Technical Excellence Scholarship Program. Line edits and clarifications were made and members made a motion to accept the first reading.
The members then looked at the Shared Enrollment policy for the RVA. The shared enrollment policy discussed students who are enrolled in the RVA and enrolled in regular school day courses. The policy insures that students are enrolled in no more than two regular school day courses. This policy was already approved by the RVA Governance Board.
Editorial changes to the content that will be in the support staff and professional staff handbooks was looked over by the board. This content included curriculum and stipend timesheets, prep periods for substitute professional staff, retirement benefits and recognition, sick leave, and personal leave.
The meeting then moved on to an annual review of five policies. These policies include the following; emergency policy suspension, temporary administrative arrangements, school safety plans, emergency school closing, and school wellness.
The policy for school safety plans was discussed and line edits were made. There will be a board meeting about school safety on August 16 at 9 a.m.
