February 23, 2021 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

Notice of the time and place of the Lincoln Board of Education meeting was e-mailed to an extensive list of local and regional news media.  A mailing list is maintained at the Lincoln Public Schools District Office.  A public notice was published in the LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR.


The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. The Lincoln Board of Education shall also make available for examination and copying as requested by members of the public, at least one copy of all reproducible written materials to be discussed at the meeting.

Rationale:  The attached minutes are intended to accurately reflect the action of the Board at its previous meetings.

Explanation
The minutes have been prepared for Board approval.

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In the interest of maintaining the orderly decorum of the Lincoln School Board's meetings, the following rules are established for the conduct of all person attending a meeting of the Lincoln Board of Education and for those participating in public comment:

Face coverings that cover the nose and mouth are required for all individuals attending Lincoln Board of Education meetings.  This requirement is in alignment with the recommendations of the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department for individuals in public settings and to protect other participants at the Board meeting who may be at higher risk or more vulnerable to COVID-19. When participating in public comment you may only remove your face covering while at the podium and addressing the board. 

No signs, posters, placards, etc. shall be affixed to the walls, doors, etc. of the Lincoln Public Schools District Office or any room therein, except by LPS staff in connection with District business and then only with permission of the Superintendent or designee.

No sign, placard, or poster which is carried by hand shall be permitted in the Lincoln Public Schools District Office building or any of its rooms.

In keeping with Board Policy 8420:

1. Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose. 
2. A time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker. At the discretion of the chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.
3. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment. A "Record of Appearance" card is provided for this purpose.
4. Persons wishing to appear will be heard in the order in which the Chair of the meeting determines appropriate.
5. In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.
6. If the number of people wishing to speak under the public participation portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled or the discussion be limited on the issue in question.
7. Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials available to the Board but may not use any other form of media.

If at any time persons appearing before the Board exceed the time limitations set forth in this policy or on the agenda or if persons appearing before the Board or who are present at the Board meeting or public hearing become abusive in language or behavior, it shall be the responsibility of the chair to declare that person or persons out of order and to refuse permission to continue to address the Board, require a change in behavior and may require the person or persons to leave the premises of the Board meeting.

 

Rationale: 

Rationale:  The Human Resources Division also includes the Office of Risk Management.  As such, in addition to the Lincoln Board of Education approving all contractual agreements with employees, all employee benefit issues, all personnel actions, and all other matters within the scope of the Human Resources Division, as part of the Human Resources Matters agenda; the Lincoln Board of Education also must approve the settlement of Workers’ Compensation claims, take action on tort claims filed against the district, and take action on all other matters within the scope of the Office of Risk Management.

Explanation:
This report includes routine Human Resources changes:

a.  Certificated Employees:
         Elections - 1
         Change of Status - 2
         Leave of Absences - 1
 
b.  Substitute Certificated Employees:
          Elections - 12
          Separations - 6

c.  Classified Employees:
          Elections - 17
          Separations - 21

Proposal:
That the Board approve the Human Resources items presented in the attachment(s).*

*The information in the attachment(s) may be protected by privacy legislation until the Board of Education takes action on the staff recommendations.  Therefore, this attachment(s) is not included in agenda materials provided the public and the news media.  Any information in the attachment(s) that is not protected by privacy legislation, however, is available for public inspection from the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources upon request.

That the Board is approving the Human Resources items attached with the information as presented or as on file with official district records and documents relating to each such item, or in such other form as may be approved by the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, or the Associate Superintendent’s designee, and that the Board hereby authorizes the Associate Superintendent for Human Resources, or the Associate Superintendent’s designee, to transact and complete each such item approved hereby, and to sign, execute, and deliver necessary documents or contracts, and to take or cause to be taken any and all other action as may be necessary to complete each such item of transaction as contemplated, for and on behalf of this school district.

Rationale: 

Rationale:  On February 9, 2021, the Board adopted a resolution to accept option enrollment students for the 2021-22 school year.  Applications for enrollment during the 2021-22 school year have been received and are in compliance with the Board resolution of February 9, 2021.  

Explanation 
The applications included in this agenda item have been examined by staff and meet one of the criteria set forth by the Board in the resolution of February 9, 2021.  Staff recommends approval of the applications.

Proposal   
That the Board adopts the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the students who have been assigned student numbers 441145, 441146, 441147, 441149, 441150, 441151, 441152, 441154, 441156, 428446, 441157, 441158, 440912, 402308 and 441189 (for purposes of confidentiality, assigned numbers are being used) meet one or more of the criteria of the Board resolution of February 9, 2021, with regard to such option students;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the aforementioned students be accepted as option students on the condition and with the express understanding that all programs, all classes and all buildings of assignment, except as otherwise required by law, shall at all times and from time to time during attendance at Lincoln Public Schools be determined solely by Lincoln Public Schools.

Rationale:  *The Lincoln Board of Education is empowered to act on any item listed on the Agenda at any time during the meeting, irrespective of the time or order listed. Pages listed, or further detail, are available upon request. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of the matters to be considered at the meeting. The Lincoln Board of Education  Board releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools.

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Vendor	Description	Cost	Extended Cost
Dell Inc.	Dell Chromebook 3100 2-in-1	$315.00	$1,935,360.00
Dell Inc.	Chrome Education License	$24.00	$147,456.00

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Rationale:  Title 173 Chapter 7 of the Nebraska School Rules and Regulations sets the guidance for school health screenings, including: vision screening, hearing screening, dental screening and height/weight screening. These screenings are required in Early Childhood, Kindergarten, and grades 1-4, 7, and 10.

Due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that not every student who is to be screened in the 2020-21 school year, particularly remote learners, will be available for screening due to parents not making their child(ren) available in the school setting for the mandated screening (or making their child available for a health care provider screening).   
Explanation
Efforts have been made to screen all required students including those who are attending remotely, with efforts including offering families the opportunity to come to the school setting for screening and encouraging families to take their children to health care providers. School nurses have contacted families of remote learners, information on screening is available on the district website, and families of remote learners received a district communication concerning required screenings and options for completion.

Despite these efforts it is likely some students who are to be screened in 2020-21 school will not be screened. District health staff is committed to conducting school health screenings this year and next school year for those students who are not screened this year.

The attached Resolution acknowledges the challenges presented by the pandemic to health screening completion and waives the screening mandate for students who cannot be screened in the 2020-21 school year.    

Proposal
That the Board approve the attached Resolution Regarding School Health Screenings.

Rationale: 

Rationale:  Airline industry projections for workforce needs in the future are alarming. Boeing, leading manufacturer of airlines in the U.S., predicts a world demand of 754,000 new technicians by 2037. The global aviation maintenance technician workforce will need to add almost 38,000 new technicians annually in order to meet the projected demand.

In passing the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Congress focused anew on addressing the projected shortages of skills in the aviation industry by directing the establishment of an Aviation Workforce Development Grant Program. The goal of this new program is to provide grants to eligible projects to support the education and recruitment of aviation maintenance technical workers and the development of the aviation maintenance workforce.

Explanation
To support the local workforce needs in this area, the Lincoln Public Schools Curriculum Department is partnering with Duncan Aviation to develop and launch the LPS Aviation Focus Program at North Star. This program is focused on helping students identify the best aviation track for them and exposing them to a variety of potential aviation-related careers, with an emphasis on aviation maintenance.

Using the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) High School STEM Curriculum, LPS began offering 2 courses in aviation during the 2019-2020 school year at Lincoln North Star High School serving 45 students.  LPS then added two additional AOPA curriculum courses the following year (2020-2021), serving 60 students.  With interest growing, the Aviation Maintenance Grant will now help LPS launch the Aviation Focus Program, which will expand course offerings and provide students with hands-on learning experiences in the field of aviation maintenance.

The Aviation Focus Program is being designed to take a holistic approach when it comes to recruitment of students, course offerings, work-based learning opportunities, and higher education opportunities for students.  Thus, the Aviation Maintenance Grant will be used for a number of things that support this holistic approach including developing marketing materials, developing curriculum, purchasing equipment, developing an internship program at Duncan Aviation, funding teacher professional development, and establishing student scholarships.

Proposal
That the Board approve the submission by Lincoln Public Schools of the Aviation Maintenance Technical Workers Workforce Development Grant application to the Federal Aviation Administration for up to $500,000. This grant has no match requirement. 

The proposal is due March 22, 2021.
 

Rationale: 

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Rationale:  February 25 - Chamber Annual Meeting, 11:45 a.m., Virtual
March 8-12 - Quarter Break - No School All Levels
March 9 - No Board Meeting
March 23 - Board Meeting, 6:00 p.m., LPSDO
 

Rationale: 

In the interest of maintaining the orderly decorum of the Lincoln School Board's meetings, the following rules are established for the conduct of all person attending a meeting of the Lincoln Board of Education and for those participating in public comment:

Face coverings that cover the nose and mouth are required for all individuals attending Lincoln Board of Education meetings.  This requirement is in alignment with the recommendations of the Lincoln Lancaster County Health Department for individuals in public settings and to protect other participants at the Board meeting who may be at higher risk or more vulnerable to COVID-19. When participating in public comment you may only remove your face covering while at the podium and addressing the board. 

No signs, posters, placards, etc. shall be affixed to the walls, doors, etc. of the Lincoln Public Schools District Office or any room therein, except by LPS staff in connection with District business and then only with permission of the Superintendent or designee.

No sign, placard, or poster which is carried by hand shall be permitted in the Lincoln Public Schools District Office building or any of its rooms.

In keeping with Board Policy 8420:

1. Persons speaking during Public Comment will be called forward individually by the Board Chair to the location identified for such purpose. 
2. A time limit of five minutes will be allotted for any speaker. At the discretion of the chair, the speaker may be allotted additional time. Board members may share, address or consider comments from the public during public comment, at the end of public comment or when related business is on the agenda.
3. Each individual speaking to the Board will be required to identify himself or herself prior to giving public comment. A "Record of Appearance" card is provided for this purpose.
4. Persons wishing to appear will be heard in the order in which the Chair of the meeting determines appropriate.
5. In cases where more than one person wishes to speak on the same topic, their presentations to the Board may, at the discretion of the chair, be grouped together by topic.
6. If the number of people wishing to speak under the public participation portions of the agenda is large, the chair may rule that a public hearing be scheduled or the discussion be limited on the issue in question.
7. Persons speaking to the Board during public comment may make printed materials available to the Board but may not use any other form of media.

If at any time persons appearing before the Board exceed the time limitations set forth in this policy or on the agenda or if persons appearing before the Board or who are present at the Board meeting or public hearing become abusive in language or behavior, it shall be the responsibility of the chair to declare that person or persons out of order and to refuse permission to continue to address the Board, require a change in behavior and may require the person or persons to leave the premises of the Board meeting.

 

Rationale: 

Explanation
At this point, it is appropriate for the Board to meet in closed session for one of the stated matters and/or any other permissible closed session matters in compliance with the law.

Rationale:  The Lincoln Board of Education is authorized by state statute to hold closed sessions.  Closed sessions may be held when clearly necessary for the protection of the public interest or for the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual.  Reasons that meet this standard include but are not limited to:  (a) strategy sessions with respect to collective bargaining, real estate matters, pending litigation, or litigation which is imminent as evidenced by communication of a claim or threat of litigation to or by the public body; (b) discussion regarding deployment of security personnel or devices; (c) investigative proceedings regarding allegations of criminal misconduct; (d) evaluation of the job performance of a person when necessary to prevent needless injury to the reputation of a person and if such person has not requested a public meeting; and (e) legal advice.