First readings of proposed school board policy updates were the main topics in an otherwise light agenda for the Cheney School Board at its Oct. 8 meeting.
An update of policy 3415 regarding “Accommodating Students with Diabetes” consisted mostly of language changes. The only exception was addition of a paragraph requiring the school to provide a description of the student’s school schedule to their parents or health care providers to “facilitate the timing of monitoring, treatment and food consumption.”
“We’ve been doing that as part of our plans but now it’s in our policy,” Student Support Services Director Kristi Thurston told the board.
Board policy 1220 regarding “Board Officers and Duties of Board Members” was updated to include work sessions under attendance requirements.
Policy 1400 regarding board meetings was updated to reference Betz Elementary School as the normal location for meetings, rather than district headquarters. The provision that the board’s meeting agenda must be posted on the district’s website at least 24 hours in advance was added, as was language noting work sessions, while open to the public, would not be used to take public testimony and language prohibiting board members from communicating electronically with each other during meetings.
In action items, the board unanimously approved acceptance of the high school’s track resurfacing project, completed this summer by Beynon Sports Surfaces. The board also unanimously adopted its “Essential Foundations,” goals and guidelines it had unofficially been using in its decision-making processes at meetings. The foundations set out not only goals for policy, but define expectations and continuous progress for students, staff, district leadership and parents; describe how the school board, community and parents will engage with each other and how the district will institute stewardship and planning initiatives.
The board also agreed to adjust its meeting schedule, moving the regular Oct. 22 meeting to Westwood Middle School from Betz in order to accommodate the opening of a special art exhibit at the Windsor-area school.
In an information item, Thurston and Northwest Autism Center’s clinical director, Dana Stevens, updated the board on collaboration between the two organizations to provide students with special needs support services based at Snowdon Elementary School. The multi-year project covers a number of support services levels, utilizes a team approach and is designed to fade out in such a manner that allows school district personnel to become trained in methods and procedures in such a manner that they in turn become the program trainers.
John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].
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