II. BUSINESS ITEMS (including amendments and rescissions)

Groups audience:

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 October 2, 2023.

Groups audience:

School Board

02. Public Comment (General Matters)

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 orderly 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.

Issues involving individual personnel or student matters are confidential and, therefore, are not appropriate for the public comment session. Concerns related to personnel or student matters should be handled as a complaint and reported to the superintendent or designee.

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.

No solicitations will be allowed during public comment.

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.

If the board does not hold a regular meeting during a month, the board will not provide a time for public comment at any other meeting held during that month, unless a majority of the board votes to allow public comment at the meeting or unless the purpose of the meeting is a public hearing.

Groups audience:

School Board

03. Public Comment (Parents' Bill of Rights Policies)

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 will provide an opportunity for public comment on the Parents’ Bill of Rights policies. The same rules governing general public comment will apply.

Groups audience:

School Board

04. 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	X	Discussion
Operations and Support	X

TCS Shows Academic Improvement

In a recent report presented by the State Board of Education, Transylvania County Schools demonstrated remarkable progress in their academic performance, with 88% of schools achieving School Performance Grades of A, B, or C. Brevard High, Brevard Middle, Pisgah Forest, Rosman High and Rosman Middle all exceeded their Academic Growth goals. Brevard Elementary, Rosman Elementary, and T. C. Henderson met their Academic Growth goals. Davidson River received the highest rating for the alternative school accountability model. BHS and RHS both achieved a 94% graduation rate. Furthermore, 78% of schools demonstrated improved academic proficiency, with the most notable being K-2 reading proficiency, which increased from 60% in the 2021-2022 school year to 67% in the 2022-2023 school year. Student achievement for the 2022-2023 school year is based on all end-of-grade (EOG) and end-of-course (EOC) tests in reading, math and science. Way to go!

October is National Principals' Month

October is National School Principals’ Month. Please join us in showing appreciation to our hardworking school principals for all they do to support our schools, students, and staff:

Mike Kirst, BES Tammy Deaver, BMS

Amanda Lewis, PFES Julie Queen, RMS

Bob Dinsdale, RES Mick Galloway, BHS

Patrick Chapman, TCH Jason Ormsby, RHS

Barbara Grimm, DRS

National Custodial Workers’ Recognition Day Oct. 2

October 2, 2023 is National Custodian Day. Many thanks to all of our hardworking custodians who keep our schools clean and safe for students, staff, and visitors. They deserve to be celebrated every single day!

National School Lunch Week Oct. 9-13

National School Lunch Week is October 9-13, 2023 with the theme, “Level Up with School Lunch.” “Level Up” encourages students to eat healthy school meals by linking nutritious foods to video games. Students can gain “Health Points” with fruits and vegetables or “Power Up” with protein choices from the menu. Many thanks to the School Nutrition staff who work hard to prepare tasty, good quality, and nutrition meals to students every day. Our lunch participation is up 23% district wide!

NC Crunch Day is October 18

Join the state of North Carolina in celebrating Farm to School and Early Care and Education Month by crunching into a locally grown fruit or vegetable on NC Crunch Day on Wednesday, October 18^th. NC Crunch Day is also a great opportunity to thank all those involved in feeding our communities and celebrate NC agriculture.

National School Bus Safety Week Oct. 16-20

The week of October 16-20, 2023 is National School Bus Safety Week. School buses are the safest way for children to get to school. Their design is meant to be safer than any passenger vehicle in avoiding crashes and preventing injuries. Teaching children to follow safety rules on the bus is just as important as informing drivers about the laws regarding school buses.

National Bullying Prevention Month

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and a good opportunity to promote kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Historically, bullying was viewed as a childhood rite of passage that “made kids tougher,” but the reality is that bullying can have serious and long-term impacts such as loss of self-esteem, anxiety, and depression for those involved. Research shows the best way to combat bullying is to create respectful and inclusive school environments through comprehensive intervention and prevention strategies that bring together students, educators, families and community members.

National Red Ribbon Week Oct. 23-31

October 23-31, 2023 is National Red Ribbon Week. Drugs can alter brain development and hinder growth. They can block our brains from naturally experiencing happiness by suppressing neurotransmitters such as Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins. This year’s theme, “Be Kind to Your Mind. Live Drug Free,” is about making positive choices to be happy and healthy by staying drug-free.

Safe Schools

School Mental Health Training for the 2023-2024 school year will focus on awareness and prevention in the areas of teen dating violence, suicide, substance abuse, and sex trafficking.

Athletics

RHS Varsity, BHS Varsity, and JV Volleyball teams are currently undefeated and 1^st in their conferences. The RHS JV team also has a winning record.
BHS Varsity football is in position to battle for 1^st place in the conference and the JV team is currently undefeated. RHS is gaining momentum as they head further into conference play. The Homecoming crowd was the largest seen in recent years. The BMS team is currently undefeated. The BHS Varsity and JV teams both have winning records and Varsity is currently undefeated.
The BHS women’s and men’s cross country teams are both 1^st in the conference.
Tennis and golf seasons are just getting underway.
Congratulations to the athletic directors, coaches and athletes!

CTE

RHS Health Science students will host a blood drive on October 11.
Rosman High School’s Business Department has been working hard on the BOB (Big Orange Boutique) for students to purchase all their school spirit needs. The grand opening will take place on Fall Arts Night on October 24 from 5-7pm.
Transylvania Economic Development is coordinating a field trip for students to explore local manufacturing facilities. The tentative date is October 18.
BHS FFA will compete in the Western Region Forestry Career Development Event at DuPont State Forest on October 3.
Bootcamps will be provided to help senior CTE Concentrators prepare for the ACT WorkKeys assessment.
Be Pro, Be Proud will provide virtual reality career exploration for high school students the week of October 9. Fifth graders will participate in the Careers On Wheels event on October 16, where they can explore over 50 local businesses and career available in Western NC.
7^th Grade Career Day at Blue Ridge Community College will take place on October 17. Students will have the opportunity to rotate through with career professionals who will present hands-on activities to encourage career exploration.

Burlingame Donation to T. C. Henderson

The Burlingame Country Club Friends of T. C. Henderson recently raised $25,000 for T.C. Henderson School of Science and Technology during their 2023 fundraiser event. The funds are targeted for Accelerated Reader and other literacy enhancing programs, additional books to support literacy and STEM, Programmable Coding Robots, Design and Build Kits, and standard STEM supplies for the science lab. These materials enhance hands-on learning in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math while keeping students engaged in problem-solving and higher order thinking skills. Thanks go to Linda Crowther, Chairperson of the Burlingame Fundraiser Committee, and the members of the Burlingame Country Club community for their generous and ongoing support of T.C. Henderson.

Donation to Davidson River School Arts

Our thanks to Marci Barby, chair of Art @ Atagahi, and Judy Baghose, co-chair of Davidson River Strong, who recently presented Principal Barbara Grimm with a check for $1300 to promote art at Davidson River School.

Creative Classroom Grant Applications Now Available

Transylvania County Schools Education Foundation (TCSEF) has announced that applications for the 2024-2025 Creative Classroom Grants are now open. Creative Classroom Grants are a supplement to the resources available to Transylvania County Schools for the purpose of preserving, maintaining, advancing and enriching public education in Transylvania County. Please see the link in the September Staff Newsletter to submit an application. The grants will be awarded in February 2024.

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

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

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

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

Smartphone App: Transylvania County Schools on Play Store and iTunes

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/transylvaniacountyschools ǀ WSQL Radio: bit.ly/TCSYesRadio!

Groups audience:

School Board

05. 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 10-02-23.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

06. 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:

Minutes of the September 12, 2023 meeting
Minutes of the September 18, 2023 meeting
Personnel report for October 2, 2023
Appointment of Tabitha Galloway as school treasurer at Rosman Elementary School, effective September 25, 2023, pursuant to N.C.G.S. 115C-448(a)
Applications for CEU credit for the “School Board Member Rights and Responsibilities” local board training session on September 12, 2023

A motion is in order to approve the consent agenda item(s).

Public Attachments:

Minutes 9-12-23.pdf

Minutes 9-18-23.pdf

Application for Training Credit_9-12-23_DALTON.pdf

Application for Training Credit_9-12-23_JACKSON.pdf

Application for Training Credit_9-12-23_MCCOY.pdf

Application for Training Credit_9-12-23_O'NEILL.pdf

Personnel Report 10-02-23.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07A. Policy: Spring 2023 PLS Custom Updates

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

On September 18, the board accepted as first-read information seven policies with minor changes from the NCSBA Spring 2023 PLS (Policies to Lead the Schools) Custom Updates. The revisions are summarized below. The board had no questions at the last meeting. The policies are presented for second-read approval at this time. Dr. Brian Weaver will answer any questions you may have.

1610/7800, Professional and Staff Development. References a new state law G.S. 115C-81.57 effective beginning with the 2023-2024 school year that requires local boards to provide professional development to carry out state law provisions regarding education in middle and high schools on the Holocaust and genocide.

4155, Assignment to Classes. Updates a legal reference.

4334/5035/7345, Use of Unmanned Aircraft (Drones). Updates the legal references.

5028/6130/7267, Automated External Defibrillator. Updates the hyperlinks in Other Resources.

6410, Organization of the Purchasing Function. Updates a hyperlink in the legal references.

7340, Employee Dress and Appearance. Updates the legal references.

7650, Employee Travel and Other Expense Reimbursement. Updates a hyperlink in the Other Resources.

A motion is in order to approve the seven policies listed above as presented.

Public Attachments:

Policy 1610-7800_revised.pdf

Policy 4155_revised.pdf

Policy 4334-5035-7345_revised.pdf

Policy 5028-6130-7267_revised.pdf

Policy 6410_revised.pdf

Policy 7340_revised.pdf

Policy 7650_revised.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

07B. Policy: S.L. 2023-106 Special Updates

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

On September 18, the board accepted as first-read information seven revised policies from a Special Custom PLS Update to comply with Session Law 2023-106 (SB 49), which creates a new Chapter 114A of the General Statutes titled “Parents’ Bill of Rights” and also amends Chapter 115C of the General Statutes to add new requirements for schools regarding parental guides and notifications. The new requirements apply with the 2023-2024 school year; however, the General Assembly has extended policy deadlines to the first day of school after January 1, 2024. At the last meeting, the board had suggested additional revisions to some of the policies. Dr. Brian Weaver will discuss and answer any questions you may have.

1310/4002, Parental Involvement. Substantially revises the policy to address the new requirements of the Parents’ Bill of Rights

3210, Parental Inspection of and Objection to Instructional Materials. The school system must have a written process for parents to inspect and review all textbooks and supplementary instructional materials that will be used in their child’s classrooms.

3540, Comprehensive Health Education Program. Adds a provision prohibiting instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality in grades K through 4.

4335, Criminal Behavior. Changes the requirement for reporting to parents when their child is suspected to be the victim of a crime.

4720, Surveys of Students. Changes parental notification and consent requirements based on new state law requirements. Adds a new section about well-being questionnaires and health screening forms.

6120, Student Health Services. The new G.S. 90-211.10B contains language that prohibits health care practitioners, which includes school employees authorized under state law to perform health care services as part of their job, from providing, soliciting, or arranging medical procedures or treatments for a minor without first obtaining written or documented consent from the parent. This law goes into effect on December 1, 2023.

7300, Staff Responsibilities. Adds an employee responsibility to support parental involvement and never encourage a student to withhold information from their parents.

Second-read approval of the policies will be scheduled for the regular meeting on November 6.

Public Attachments:

Policy 1310-4002_revised.pdf

Policy 3210_revised.pdf

Policy 3540_revised.pdf

Policy 4335_revised.pdf

Policy 4720_revised.pdf

Policy 6120_revised.pdf

Policy 7300_revised.pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

08. Facilities 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	X
Operations and Support	X

Facilities Director Kerry Putnam will discuss an “On Call” RFQ and request permission to seek a 10-year plan from MSS Mechanical Systems - Sole Provider. He will answer any questions you may have.

Public Attachments:

RFQ for On-Call Services 9-29-23.docx (1).pdf

Groups audience:

School Board

09. Update on Capital Reserve Study

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

On September 27, representatives from Axias presented the draft report of the capital reserve study to the ad hoc capital study work group. Dr. Fletcher will give an update.

Groups audience:

School Board

10. 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

Please note the meeting schedule changes effective October 2023:

Regular meeting on the first Monday of the month
Work session on the third Monday of the month
Start times change to 6:00 p.m.
Public comment at work session and regular meeting
Attorney present at both meetings (for now)

Oct. 6	Students dismissed at noon
Oct. 11-13	NCSBA Fall Law Conference	3 days	Asheville, NC
Oct. 16	WORK SESSION	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Oct. 27	Students dismissed at noon
Oct. 30, 31	Teacher workdays
Nov. 6	REGULAR MEETING	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Nov. 10	Veterans Day holiday
Nov. 13-15	NCSBA Annual Conference for Board Member Development	3 days	Greensboro, NC
Nov. 20	WORK SESSION	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Nov. 22-24	Thanksgiving break
Dec. 4	REGULAR MEETING	6:00 p.m.	MEC
Dec. 14-15	NCSBA Core Training for New Board Members	2 days	Raleigh, NC
Dec. 18	WORK SESSION	6:00 p.m.	MEC

Groups audience:

School Board

11. 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

12. Closed Session

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

The board will entertain a motion to go into closed session pursuant to N.C.G.S. § 115C-318.11 subsection (a)(3) to consult with an attorney retained by the board to preserve the attorney client privilege between the attorney and the public body.

Groups audience:

School Board