By AL STOVER
Staff Reporter
The Medical Lake school board closed 2016 at its Dec. 13 meeting with a few housekeeping items.
In the reorganization of the board, Rod Von Lehe was re-elected school board president.
Peggy Schweikhardt will remain vice president, Ron Cooper continues as the board’s Washington Interscholastic Activities Association liaison and Felicia Jensen was appointed as the legislative liaison.
In other items, the board held the first readings of policies “Homeless Students Enrollment Rights and Services” and “Students in Foster Care.”
Kim Headrick, director of teaching and learning, explained that both policies state the district will work to provide homeless students and those in foster care with the same education as their peers.
Both policies also address the district’s determination to have students enrolled at their school of origin — in this case Medical Lake — unless it is against the wishes of their parent or guardian. Students who are registered as an unaccompanied youth — meaning they are homeless and not in the physical custody of a parent or guardian — can also change schools.
Schweikhardt asked if the district covered the cost of transporting students to another district. According to the policy, the district will work with other agencies to implement a written procedure to fund and provide transportation.
“If a student lives in Medical Lake and they go to school in Spokane, we would take them to Spokane and Spokane and would bring them back here,” Headrick added.
The board held the first reading of a policy “Education of Students with Disabilities Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.” Headrick said the policy references updated Revised Code of Washington 28A.600.485 — Use of restraint or isolation specified in individualized education programs or plans developed under section 504.
The board also approved the district’s legislative priorities for 2017. These include holding the Legislature accountable for ample funding of education, ensuring fair and competitive public school employee compensation, allowing voters to decide on simple majority for bonds, and expand available state resources.
Medical Lake’s priorities line up with Northeast Washington’s Educational Service District 101’s legislative objectives for 2017.
“Three of the four represent us well,” Superintendent Tim Ames said, referring to all but the request for simple majority bond votes. “We won’t have construction issues in the district for the next 10 years.”
During reports, Chad Moss, director of finance, explained that the district is expected to receive over $2.8 million in federal grants during the academic year from several agencies, including the Washington State Office of Public Instruction, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Defense.
In other business:
● The board accepted 257 donated computers from Fairchild Air Force Base.
● They also approved the surplus of old football equipment.
Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.
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