Regular Meeting

Dates:

Monday, August 2, 2021 - 6:30pm

The Transylvania County Board of Education will hold a regular business meeting on Monday, August 2, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. at the Morris Education Center, 225 Rosenwald Lane, Brevard. The meeting will be open to the public.

Groups audience:

School Board

I. Opening of Meeting

Invocation

Pledge of Allegiance

Call to Order

Welcome

Groups audience:

School Board

II. Business Items

Groups audience:

School Board

01. Approval of Agenda

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

A motion is in order to approve or revise the meeting agenda for August 2, 2021.

Groups audience:

School Board

02. Public Comment

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The board of education, as an elected representative body of the school system, wishes to provide a forum for citizens to express interests and concerns related to the school system. In order that the board may conduct an order meeting while providing an opportunity for input, individuals or groups may be heard by the board in accordance with policy 2310, Public Participation at Board Meetings, or policy 2300, Board Meetings (subsection D.2).

Each month, the first part of at least one regularly scheduled board meeting will be set aside for citizens to address the board through public comment.

A sign-up sheet will be available 30 minutes before the meeting begins for any individual or group to indicate their desire to address the board.

Each speaker will receive 3 minutes to present comments. The public comment session will not exceed 30 minutes total except by majority vote of the board.

The board chair will recognize speakers in the order in which they signed in. Substitute speakers will not be permitted and speakers may not donate any portion of their time to another speaker. If a speaker is unable to present all of his or her information within the specified time limit, the speaker may provide the board with additional information in written form. If an unusually large number of people requests to speak, a majority of the board may decide to reduce the time for each individual or to require the designation of a spokesperson for each group of persons supporting or opposing the same positions. At any time, the board may establish additional procedures to ensure that public comment sessions proceed in an efficient and orderly manner.

Board members will not respond to individuals who address the board except to request clarification of points made by the presenter.

Except in cases of emergency, information received during presentations will not be acted upon at the time it is received. It will take unanimous vote of the board members present to act on a presentation considered to be of an unusual or emergency nature at the time it is presented.

Disruptions by any person or persons of a public meeting will be subject to action in accordance with G.S. 143-318.17.

Complaints about the performance of school personnel, implementation of board policy, the quality of the educational program, or school facilities should be submitted initially for a response to the school system official responsible for the program or facility or to the superintendent. The superintendent or designee shall make available policy 2310, Public Participation at Board Meetings, and other relevant grievance procedures to any individual or group submitting a complaint.

The board may choose to offer a second opportunity for public comment at the end of the meeting. Sign-ups will not be required for the second public comment opportunity.

No solicitations will be allowed during public comment.

Groups audience:

School Board

03. Good News Report

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship	X	Action
Excellent Educators	X	Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Davidson River School's Tamika Hunter Recognized for Her Work

Communities In Schools of NC's Jobs for North Carolina Graduates (JNCG), provides vulnerable high school juniors and seniors with academic and social/emotional support, employability skills training, and guidance for one year after graduation. Each JNCG classroom is headed up by a college and career specialist, who helps students overcome barriers and make it to the graduation stage. At Davidson River School, JNCG college and career specialist Tamika Hunter recently received national recognition with the JNCG "5 of 5" Award. This award recognizes that Hunter's outcomes are exceptional, with 100% of her 2021 seniors graduating from high school this year despite facing obstacles such as low-income households, single-parent homes, WiFi connectivity issues, or housing insecurity. JNCG programs are proven to work with the majority of students graduating and entering college or the workforce:

95% of JNCG seniors graduated in 2021.
62% of JNCG students are working part-time or full-time while attending high school.
51% of JNCG graduates go directly into the workforce or the military after graduation.
10% of JNCG students attend community college or university after graduation.

---Transylvania Times, July 26, 2021

LET’S GO Boys and Girls STEM Program Expansion at TCH

The STEM program that T. C. Henderson School of Science & Technology piloted last year with the non-profit LET’S GO Boys and Girls, Inc., will be expanded this year to grades 3-5. LET’S GO works to break the cycle of poverty by partnering with schools and youth organizations to establish high-quality, “hands on, minds on” informal STEM programs for youth in under-resourced communities. The program budget for the 2021-2022 school year is $29,250, all of which will be funded by volunteer donations.

For more good news from Transylvania County Schools, please visit us at:

Home Page: www.tcsnc.org ǀ Facebook: facebook.com/transylvaniaschools

Twitter: twitter.com/transylvaniasch ǀ Flickr: flickr.com/tcsnc

Instagram: Instagram.com/transylvaniaschools ǀ YouTube: youtube.com/tcsnc

Smartphone App: Transylvania County Schools on Play Store and iTunes

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/transylvaniacountyschools

Public Attachments:

TCBOE Good News 2021-08-02.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

04. Former Students in the Military

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The board wishes to thank the former students from Brevard High School, Rosman High School, and Davidson River School who are currently serving or have previously served in the U.S. Military. The attached list of names is recognized at every meeting and read aloud twice a year in recognition of Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Additional names will be included as they are received.

Public Attachments:

Military List 8-02-21.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

05. Consent Agenda

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators	X	Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

The following items are submitted for consent approval (see attachments):

Minutes of the July 13 and July 19, 2021 meetings
Personnel report for August 2, 2021
Non-faculty coaches for fall sports 2021

A motion is in order to approve the consent agenda items.

Public Attachments:

Minutes 7-13-21.pdf

Minutes 7-19-21.pdf

Non-Faculty Coaches_Fall 2021.pdf

Personnel Report 8-02-21.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. Re-Entry Guidance for 2021-2022

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students	X	Discussion	X
Operations and Support	X

On June 21, Governor Roy Cooper and Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen released the updated StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit taking effect on July 30 to help schools prepare for the 2021-2022 school year. Under the key changes announced at their briefing, the state would no longer have a statewide mask mandate in place for schools, and local school boards would need to decide whether to require masks and under what circumstances. The June 21 recommendations included:

Because children under age 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine, elementary and middle schools should require all students and staff to wear masks indoors.
High schools should require all unvaccinated students and staff to wear masks indoors.

On July 29, due to a sharp increase in new COVID cases in our state, Governor Cooper issued a new Executive Order No. 224 effective July 29, 2021 through August 31, 2021, and made additional changes to the Toolkit. The latest version of the Toolkit recommends masks for all K-12 students and staff, regardless of vaccination status.

Governor Cooper and Secretary Cohen both stressed that getting more North Carolinians vaccinated is the most important thing North Carolinians can do to slow the spread of COVID-19 and keep students safely in school, where they benefit most from in-person instruction and receive other needed support like healthy meals.

The board will discuss and may take action on re-entry guidelines for Transylvania County Schools.

Public Attachments:

2021-2022 School Year COVID-19 Guidance.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07. Policy: Spring 2021 Custom Updates

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship	X	Action	X
Excellent Educators	X	Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students	X	Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Forty-seven revised policies were presented as first-read information on June 21. Since that time, three policies (3460, Graduation Requirements; 3620, Extracurricular Activities and Student Organizations; and 5030, Community Use of Facilitiies) have been further revised. Dr. Brian Weaver will review the changes and answer any questions you may have.

Policies related to the requirement for a school-based mental health plan:

1610/7800, Professional and Staff Development
6120, Student Health Services

Last year the General Assembly ratified Session Law 2020-7 which requires LEAs to adopt and implement a school-based mental health plan that includes a mental health training program and a suicide risk referral protocol. The plan must incorporate the requirements of State Board of Education Policy SHLT-003 and must be in place no later than July 1, 2021. The Transylvania County Schools mental health plan will be presented at the June 21 meeting. Employees must complete their initial mental health training by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

Policies related to the COVID-19 response:

3300, School Calendar and Time for Learning
4400, Attendance

Other notable revisions:

2310, Public Participation at Board Meetings: Addresses protocols for requests from citizens to place items on the agenda and prohibits discussion of confidential personnel and student matters during public comment.
2440, Policy Review and Evaluation: Gives the superintendent authority to make minor changes to correct typographical, grammatical, or clerical errors in board policy.
3300, School Calendar and Time for Learning: In addition to the COVID-19 changes noted above, this policy has been streamlined to eliminate language that merely duplicated the statutory requirements for school calendars.
3460, Graduation Requirements: The graduation requirement tables have been updated to be consistent with the latest SBE changes through March 4, 2021.
3610, Counseling Program: This policy has been reorganized and updated to better reflect the current terminology, structure, and goals of the counseling program and current mandatory reporting requirements.
4125, Homeless Students: This update makes numerous revisions to the dispute resolution process for homeless students. The revisions are necessary to comply with a new administrative regulation promulgated by the State Board of Education that made changes to the dispute resolution process previously set out in SBE policy.
4400, Attendance: The information on tracking attendance on remote instruction days has been relocated from the “temporary rule” section of this policy to permanent language in Section A of the policy, consistent with an amendment to the DPI School Attendance and Accounting Manual. Other changes include reorganization of some sections, a new section added to address late arrivals and early departures, reference to the Code of Student Conduct for truancy consequences, elimination of the description of a process for potential grade reduction due to absences, and, in alignment with a multi-tiered system of support, the addition of a directive to school administrators to develop positive strategies to address chronic absenteeism.
6125, Administering Medicines to Students: Updates have been added to reflect information in the 2020 edition of the North Carolina School Health Program Manual regarding labeling of medication, access to controlled substances, and prerequisites for self-administration of medication.
7232, Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace: The update clarifies that “sex” as used in the policy also includes pregnancy, childbirth, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
8341, Limited Claim Settlement: This policy has been revised to better align the policy with settlement practices that have withstood legal challenge.
Policies with Changes Due to New Administrative Rules: The State Board of Education has recently promulgated new administrative rules (“regulations”) based on existing State Board policies. In most cases, the administrative rule does not change the substance of the underlying policy on which it was based. In some cases, however, the State Board made changes during the rulemaking process, so the new administrative rule varies somewhat from the original State Board policy. Where relevant, policies have been updated to add a reference to the applicable administrative code and have made modifications where necessary to reflect changes made during the rulemaking process. Many of these policies contain only minor changes. A notable exception is policy 4125, Homeless Students, which has significant substantive changes as described above.

A motion is in order to approve the 47 policies listed below as revised.

Spring 2021 Custom Updates (second- read approval)
1310/4002	Parental Involvement
1510/4200/7270	School Safety
1610/7800	Professional and Staff Development
1710/4020/7230	Discrimination and Harassment Prohibited by Federal Law
2310	Public Participation at Meetings
2440	Policy Review and Evaluation
3102	Online Instruction
3230/7330	Copyright Compliance
3300	School Calendar and Time for Learning
3460	Graduation Requirements
3470/4305	Alternative Learning Programs/Schools
3610	Counseling Program
3620	Extracurricular Activities and Student Organizations
3640/5130	Student Voter Registration and Preregistration
4040/7310	Staff-Student Relations
4050	Children of Military Families
4125	Homeless Students
4240/7312	Child Abuse and Related Threats to Child Safety
4270/6145	Concussion and Head Injury
4335	Criminal Behavior
4400	Attendance
4700	Student Records
5000	Schools and the Community
5020	Visitors to the Schools
5030	Community Use of Facilities
5070/7350	Public Records – Retention, Release, and Disposition
5071/7351	Electronically Stored Information Retention
5210	Distribution and Display of Non-School Material
6120	Student Health Services
6125	Administering Medicines to Students
6140	Student Wellness
6210	Organization of School Nutrition Services
6220	Operation of School Nutrition Services
6230	School Meal and Competitive Food Standards
6305	Safety and Student Transportation Services
6315	Drivers
6320	Use of Student Transportation Services
6321	Bus Routes
6450	Purchase of Services
7100	Recruitment and Selection of Personnel
7130	Licensure
7232	Discrimination and Harassment in the Workplace
7430	Substitute Teachers
7720	Employee Political Activities
8310	Annual Independent Audit
8341	Limited Claim Settlement
9020	Facility Design

Public Attachments:

Policy 1310-4002_revised.pdf

Policy 1501-4200-7270_revised.pdf

Policy 1610-7800_revised.pdf

Policy 1710-4020-7230_revised.pdf

Policy 2310_revised.pdf

Policy 2440_revised.pdf

Policy 3102_revised.pdf

Policy 3230-7330_revised.pdf

Policy 3300_revised.pdf

Policy 3460_revised_6-22-21.pdf

Policy 3470-4305_revised.pdf

Policy 3610_revised.pdf

Policy 3620_revised_8-02-21.pdf

Policy 3640-5130_revised.pdf

Policy 4040-7310_revised.pdf

Policy 4050_revised.pdf

Policy 4125_revised.pdf

Policy 4240-7312_revised.pdf

Policy 4270-6145_revised.pdf

Policy 4335_revised.pdf

Policy 4400_revised.pdf

Policy 4700_revised.pdf

Policy 5000_revised.pdf

Policy 5020_revised.pdf

Policy 5030_revised_8-02-21.pdf

Policy 5070-7350_revised.pdf

Policy 5071-7351_revised.pdf

Policy 5210_revised.pdf

Policy 6120_revised.pdf

Policy 6125_revised.pdf

Policy 6140_revised.pdf

Policy 6210_revised.pdf

Policy 6220_revised.pdf

Policy 6230_revised.pdf

Policy 6305_revised.pdf

Policy 6315_revised.pdf

Policy 6320_revised.pdf

Policy 6321_revised.pdf

Policy 6450_revised.pdf

Policy 7100_revised.pdf

Policy 7130_revised.pdf

Policy 7232_revised.pdf

Policy 7430_revised.pdf

Policy 7720_revised.pdf

Policy 8310_revised.pdf

Policy 8341_revised.pdf

Policy 9020_revised.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

08. Capital Projects Status Report

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Norris Barger will give an update on the status of current and upcoming capital projects. A summary report is attached.

Public Attachments:

Capital Projects Status Report_7-27-21.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

09. Bond Projects Update

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Norris Barger will give an update on the school bond construction projects.

Groups audience:

School Board

10. FY22 Budget Update

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Dr. McDaris and Mr. Barger will give an update on the budget for FY22.

Groups audience:

School Board

11. Approval of Property Acquisition

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

At its meeting on June 7, 2021, the board authorized the superintendent to negotiate the purchase of the former Paul’s Quick Service property in Rosman, NC. An offer to purchase has been accepted by the owner and is within the limits set by the board at its prior meeting. Terms are as follows:

Purchase price - $100,000
Non-refundable due diligence fee - $2,500. This allows an examination of the property by the Board for up to 90 days.
Closing to take place no more than 60 days after the end of the examination period.

A Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment has been performed (see attached) and recommends a Phase 2 study be completed on the property because of the nature of the former business and the presence of fuel tanks. This study will begin once all approvals for the purchase have been secured.

A motion is in order to approve the purchase of the property with the agreed upon terms, and to authorize the superintendent to request an agenda item at the next Board of County Commissioners meeting for the purpose of approval by the Board of County Commissioners as to price.

Public Attachments:

Rosman property offer to purchase.pdf

Former Paul's Quick Service Phase I Environmental Site Assessment.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

12. Superintendent's Update

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Dr. Jeff McDaris will give an update on current and emerging educational issues.

Groups audience:

School Board

13. Important Dates

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

Aug. 9	Regular 5-day schedule resumes
Aug. 9	New Teacher Orientation	8am - 4pm	BHS Auditorium
Aug. 9-13	Teacher workdays
Aug. 16	First student day
Aug. 16	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
Sept. 3	Remote learning day
Sept. 6	Labor Day holiday
Sept. 20	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
Oct. 1	Students dismissed at noon
Oct. 4	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
Oct. 18	REGULAR MEETING	6:30 p.m.	MEC
Oct. 19	Remote learning day

Groups audience:

School Board

14. Public Comment

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

A second opportunity will be provided for public comment.

Groups audience:

School Board

15. Other Items

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action
Excellent Educators		Information	X
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion
Operations and Support	X

An opportunity will be provided for comments and/or other items from board members.

Groups audience:

School Board

16. Closed Session

Strategic Priority		Reason for Consideration
Graduates Prepared for Work, Higher Education and Citizenship		Action	X
Excellent Educators		Information
Healthy, Safe and Responsible Students		Discussion	X
Operations and Support	X

Board policy requires the board to perform a performance evaluation of the superintendent each year. The timeline for the 2020-2021 evaluation is listed below:

Jun. 21	Superintendent provides self-assessment to the board.
Before Aug. 2	Board chair and vice chair meet with superintendent to discuss self-assessment. Board members complete and return individual evaluations to board chair or vice chair.
Aug. 2	Board members meet in closed session to prepare consensus evaluation.
Aug. 16	Board meets with superintendent in closed session to discuss the consensus evaluation and agree upon performance goals and recommendations for the next school year.

Chairman McCoy will entertain a motion for the board to go into closed session pursuant to G.S. § 143-318.11 under subsection (a)(1) to discuss confidential personnel information protected under N.C.G.S. § 115C-319-321.

Groups audience:

School Board

III. Adjournment

Groups audience:

School Board