New and reelected Medical Lake members also sworn in
MEDICAL LAKE — At it’s final meeting of the decade the Medical Lake School Board made quick work of a short agenda ahead of the Christmas holiday, swearing in new and reelected board members, considering district policies and conducting other business.
Superintendent Tim Ames swore-in board member Rod Von Lehe, who in-turn read the oath of office to reelected member Ron Cooper and newcomer Laura Parsons, who beat former board member Felicia Jensen in the November general election.
The board also voted or agreed to various assignments.
Von Lehe — who also received a certificate for 20 consecutive years on the school board — was again voted to remain at the helm as the board president.
Board member Peggy Schweikhardt also received a certificate for 30 consecutive years on the board and was installed as the board vice president.
Leo Spilker will serve as the board’s legislative representative and Ron Cooper will serve as the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association representative.
Financial director Chad Moss reported the district had won a competitive $200,000 repair grant from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The grant is the maximum allowed, according to Moss.
The board passed on second reading two board policies. The first allows students with parents in the military who are transferred to, or are pending transfer to the area to conditionally register with the school district without showing immediate proof of residency. However, proof would need to be provided within 14 days of arrival.
The second policy relates to the conditional enrollment of homeless students, who would immediately be enrolled even if an enrollment dispute is pending.
The board also considered a completely revised student discipline policy resulting from legislative changes.
Current policy is tied to policies and procedures — the districts “discipline matrix” Ames explained to the board. The new policy — which includes references to state law and administrative code — would eliminate the discipline matrix that outlines punishment for various types of misbehaviors and would instead be more subjective based on individual circumstance.
“The number emphasis on this policy is communication with parents,” Ames said.
According to the draft discipline policy, student discipline would be a more “supportive response to behavioral violation,” that would include engaging family early, and making disciplinary responses culturally appropriate.
Short of threats or “immediate and continuing danger to others,” per language in the policy, so-called emergency expulsion would no longer be on the table.
Instead, the new policy makes expulsion from the classroom or school a secondary response and emphasizes “supporting students in meeting behavioral expectations” a priority that involves a meeting with parents.
“It’s like a due process hearing for the student with the parent,” Ames said.
The new discipline policy was approved by the board on first reading.
An annual bilingual transitional education program, a state-funded program that assists English as a second language students also received board approval.
There are currently 11 students district-wide in the program, according to Assistant Superintendent Kim Headrick.
The board closed it’s meeting with a report from Student Services Director Tawni Barlow, who shared that the student services team had met all annual requirements from OSPI relating to the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Act.
The state office considers five different areas of eligibility including when the district qualifies students for special education interventions for “whole child and family.”
“I’m proud of the student services team as well as appreciate all the support from administrators,” Barlow said. “It takes really both working to support the staff as well as the staff doing all the heavy lifting of the work to insure compliance.”
The school boards next meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28 in the district boardroom.
Lee Hughes can be reached at lee@cheneyfreepress.com.
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