August 9, 2021 at 7:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

• The meeting was called to order at 7:03 p.m.
• Board President Desh led the board members (and patrons in attendance) in the Pledge of Allegiance. 
• Special note: Due to the air conditioning system not operating correctly in the high school media center prior to the meeting, the meeting was relocated to the northwest corner of the main gymnasium. Board member tables were moved into the alternate location and community patrons were able to sit in the bleachers along the east wall north of the stage. This relocation assisted with the increased number of public patrons in attendance at the meeting and the space provided a more temperature-controlled environment for the meeting.

• Board President Desh noted the location of the Open Meetings Act Poster near the northwest entrance area of the main gym. 

• No student or staff presentations were presented.
• Highlights of staff and student community service will be noted in the Superintendent's Report later in the meeting. 

• No further discussion on the Consent Agenda. 

Official Board of Education minutes are available on the district web site at www.districtor1.org

• Susan Royal
• Laura Kerkman
• Lance Gee
• Steve Lindemann
• Lisa Cheney
• Lori Lindemann
• Jerris Nider
• Gabe Tramp
• Amanda Tetzlaff
• Steve Robb
• Lena Larsen -Neeman

• Administrative reports are available in their entirety at: https://meeting.sparqdata.com/Public/Organization/174

• Highlights of the report included: overview introductions of our "New to the District" certified staff members, an update on surplus Industrial Technology items that were sold at the beginning of the summer, summer staff development in the areas of school safety, behavior, and assessment, feedback on the administrative conference recently held in Kearney, staff and student kudos for community service and innovation, Superintendent goals for 2021-2022 presentation, and a summary of the progress on ESSER III funding. 

• Superintendent Hart provided an overview of the latest "Return to School" Plan (dated July 14, 2021).
• Part of the summary included the potential to make changes to the face coverings section of the plan based on updated information from the Lancaster County Health Department sent to the district on Thursday, August 5th. 

• Superintendent Hart provided a variety of information regarding the beginning of school dates and activities. 

• Superintendent Hart provided a brief overview of some "draft" goals for the 2021-2022 school year.
• A copy of the NASB Superintendent evaluation document is attached.

• Mr. Johnson (High School Principal) provided a brief overview of the different types of training completed by the Safety and Security teams this summer. The training included information on the development (and implementation) of a Continuity Of Operations Plan (COOP) and the development (and implementation) of a district-wide Threat Assessment Team. 

• No further discussion on this topic. 
• A list of committee assignments is attached. 

• Superintendent Hart provided a brief overview of completed and "in-process" maintenance issues of our district vehicle fleet.
• Additional topics included adding some more rock to the bus staging area south of the high school to help with bus parking and maintenance. 

• Superintendent Hart provided a brief overview of the summer projects completed and work tasks still to be accomplished at the Olson Complex.
• Kudos to all of our coaches, volunteer workers, announcers, and Legion Club members for their contributions to the community baseball programs this summer. Their efforts were instrumental in helping our youth teams have successful summer seasons.
• Special thanks to Tom Fitzpatrick and Rick Wilen for their strong leadership with the organization, maintenance, and community collaboration involved with the summer programs. 

• Upcoming meetings are scheduled for the following dates and times:
  • Thursday, October 14th, 2021: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School
  • Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022:  1:00 - 2:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School  
• No further discussion on this topic. 

• Superintendent Hart presented a brief overview of the progress of the upcoming district Strategic Planning process. 
• This planning process includes dates for the organization of a Strategic Planning Overview Committee, and a community engagement meeting.
• The Strategic Planning Overview Committee is tentatively scheduled to meet on Sunday, September 26th, and Monday, September 27th at Palmyra High School to discuss the SWAT  (Strengths, Weaknesses, Obstacles, and Threats) portion of the process. 
• A Community Engagement meeting for all community stakeholders is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 7th, beginning at 6:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School. 
• Please stay tuned for more information about the Strategic Planning process in the coming months. 
• The Strategic Planning process will be led by NASB (Nebraska Association of School Boards).  

• No additional discussion.

• No additional discussion. 

• Additional discussion included clarifying which content standards were being approved. 
• As of this date and the current policy, Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies were identified as the standards being approved. 

• Additional discussion centered around the idea of possibly combining Policy # 6390 and 6391. 
• After further discussion, the decision was made to leave both policies in place as they covered different aspects of the issue. For example,  Policy #6390 covers the definition of controversial issues and how to handle them as a district, and Policy # 6391 clarifies district expectations for teachers regarding controversial issues in the classroom.
• Highlights of the discussion included: reminders about teachers providing objective and non-biased opportunities for the study of a controversial issue. Special emphasis was included in noting that teachers cannot manufacture an issue and that all opinions should be valued and heard. 

• Additional discussion centered around the specific content of the Social Studies standards.
• No further discussion.

• Discussion included follow-up from the Friday, August 6th Emergency Board Meeting.

• Additional discussion centered around the following topics:

  • Potential for spread within the school.

  • The potential ramifications of increased COVID cases and the impact on future school closures.

  • Whether requiring masks would reduce the risk of spread and possible shutdowns.

  • Inconvenience to families to wear masks.

  • The time and effort required to monitor mask compliance.

  • Diversity of opinions and responses from community patrons.

  • Possible disruptions and limitations of school operations related to wearing face coverings.

  • Possible financial/ legal penalties for not following Lancaster County Health Department requirements.

•  After hearing public comment earlier in the meeting and engaging in additional discussion regarding a wide range of complex factors, the board voted to require facial coverings of the mouth and noses in all indoor settings for all students over the age of 2 and under the age of 12 and all individuals not fully vaccinated against COVID -19. This requirement to wear face coverings for students at Bennet Elementary (located in Lancaster County) will begin Wednesday, August 11th.
• Additionally, all students under the age of 12 will be required to wear masks on the bus as well. Please note: Face coverings for junior high and high school students at Palmyra High School are recommended, but not required. 
  • Additional discussion included a re-evaluation of this topic at the September 13th regular board meeting or sooner as required.  
  • The updated "Return to School" plan will be posted on our school website. 

• Upon further discussion, the Budget work session is now scheduled for Thursday, September 2nd at 6:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School. 
• No further discussion.

• Superintendent Hart presented a brief overview on the progress of the comprehensive enrollment study being conducted by RSP. 
• This comprehensive study is now in progress and the study will help to provide our district with specific data regarding projected community growth and economic development and future student enrollment projections.

• The Negotiations Committee meeting date will be announced at the September 13th regular board meeting.
• No further discussion. 

• A brief discussion centered around the second "draft" of the health standards.
• The board did not take action on the updated "draft" standards and further analysis of the proposed health standards will continue to be monitored moving forward this fall and discussed at future board meetings.  

• The date and time of the next board meeting will be Monday, September 13th, 2021, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at Palmyra High School in the media center. 

• The meeting was adjourned at 10:03 p.m.