April 8, 2019 at 8:00 PM - Regular Meeting

Rationale: 

Public Participation at Board of Education Meetings:

BOE Policy/Regulation 8346 outlines the parameters of public participation at Board meetings concerning items on the agenda as well as those not on the agenda.  A copy of this policy is available in the Superintendent’s office and at each monthly Board meeting.

Rationale:  Blake Olson was selected as the March ACE Flyer. He was nominated by his teacher, Mrs. Cortney James. She shared that Blake always tries his best and never gives up! He is a great, patient partner to classmates.  
Tamia Phifer was selected as the March ACE Flyer. Tamia is always on time, prepared for school, and has her work done. She was nominated by Mrs. Lynn Sidman. 
 

Rationale:  Within our current attendance policy we do not really have a consequence for students who have excessive absences or are chronically absent.  In fact, over the past four years we have seen our number of 7-12 grade students who are deemed as chronically absent by the NDE grow from 17% of our student body to 35% of our student body.  This new policy is an attempt to create a consequence for students missing so much school.  This policy does not affect or deal with School Sponsored Activity absences in any way.  If you take a close look at the policy you will see that we are still giving students 18 (9 each semester) total days of undocumented absences a year, before a grade reduction goes into effect.  So in a since, this policy allows a student to miss 18 days a year, that is not a Documented Medical Appointment, Documented Illness (Bring a doctor's note when you are sick), or a Family Funeral.  These 18 absences would be for Parent Approved reasons (Ski trips, sales, cattle shows, vacations, helping at home, etc.), and minor illness days that would not require a doctor's visit. Thus you would pretty much be giving students 18 "personal" days (9 each semester) every year, before they would be docked in grades.  Like I said right now you can have students miss 45 days in a school year or more (and we have had that), and there is no real consequence, especially if they make up their work, with teacher being extremely lenient in their allowances.

Rationale:  This is a change to remove the requirement of Computer Apps I for 9th grade, and making it a Personal Finance/Economics requirement for Seniors.  We are currently requiring the Senior class as it is at this time.  Computer Apps as taught in this class are skills and tools that should be learned in 7th Grade and therefore, we will be creating a semester long class for all 7th graders to take this class every year to better utilize their laptops.  We do not have any other computer classes that we offer at this time, as this went out with Mr. Sidlo retiring and the school deciding to hire Mrs. Gibson as just a tech coordinator and not a teacher.  9th graders for the next two years would still be required to take computer apps along with the 7th graders so that all students will have had this class.