Master Caleb Stewart, 7 years old, was recognized at the Leon County School Board (LCSB) meeting for creating a “Mobile Discovery Library”. Caleb said the library “may appear in a school or park, or anywhere and will provide free books and other study materials” to help children access books and promote reading. He got his idea from reading an article that stated that thousands of students could not read properly. Caleb said the article made him sad and wanted to help people. Caleb was awarded the Medal of Excellence by Superintendent Rocky Hanna.
Cory Milton with Leon Works spoke about the virtual edition of Leon Works to help students learn about job opportunities in Leon. More than 1,000 middle school aged students signed up last week to see 85 speakers presenting information ranging from construction to art to engineering. Leon Works is a public-private partnership that brings together the community, employers, academic institutions and students to prepare for the needs of employers seeking workers for skilled jobs.
Lawton Chile’s High School Senior Rohan Chadha received a Random Acts, Class Act Award for his organization Colors for Coats. The project aims to address health inequalities through volunteering. In August 2020, Rohan raised $ 1,000 for the Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Emergency COVID Fund through the sale of his artwork.
Chief John Hunkiar briefly introduced the LCSB to the topic of security and protection. Hunkiar announced in October that it would provide a more detailed analysis of the Deputy School Resources Representative’s 2021 annual report and make recommendations.
Hunkiar commented on recent incidents where students had firearms on school grounds. He said there have been five cases so far this school year and the security team is working diligently to educate teachers and students alike about the need to communicate to keep campus safe.
Assistant Superintendent Alan Cox briefed the board on the COVID-19 statistics, it has been suggested that about 80% of LCS staff are vaccinated.
Cox said he sampled cases from 15 schools Sept. 6-17 and found that 659 students were quarantined during that time. Of the 659 students, only 9 tested positive. That’s about a tenth of a percent, which, according to Dr. Cox is about the same as last year. He also stated that the mask mandate will be changed to an optional mask policy if COVID-19 positivity rates are low by October.
Cox briefly discussed the new COVID-19 emergency rule recently passed by the Department of Education and stated that any student with potential exposure to COVID-19 does not need to be quarantined. However, students who test positive cannot return to school unless:
• Ten days have passed.
• You test negative and show no symptoms.
• The student has a medical certificate.
Vice Chairman Darryl Jones noted that he was concerned about adjusting mask policy if the number of positive cases remained low through October. He said it seems to him that current safety measures have helped keep the number of positive cases down.
The board unanimously approved the LCSB-Comcast Enterprise framework service agreement for $ 34,500 for sixty months.
An agreement with Leon County and the LCSB was approved for $ 105,497 for driver education classes at Leon County Schools.
The board approved the articulation agreements for dual enrollment 2021-2022 between the Leon County School Board and Tallahassee Community College.
The agreements between the LCSB, Miracle Hill Nursing and Rehab Center, Eden Springs, LLC, and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital were extended during the meeting. The renewal of the agreements will allow Lively Technical College students to gain clinical experience.
The board approved the renewal of agreements between multiple districts and the LCSB. The renewal allows eligible students outside of the county to participate in Exceptional Student Education Service Programs (ESE) in Leon County.
from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/leon-county-school-board-meeting-letters-september-28-2021-tallahassee-reports/
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