by Kate Evans
The Morgan County School Board approved a bid extension for food service for the 2023-2024 school year to Gordon’s Food Service. Their action took place at their July 18 meeting. School officials said it was the final year for the food service bid extension and that it will go out to bid next year.
The board also approved a $105,817 bid from Kilmer’s Farm Market for produce for the 2023-2024 school year child nutrition program.
Child Nutrition Director Angie Beddow said in a letter that they sent out bid packets to two vendors for produce — Kilmer’s Farm Market and Greensburg Farms Wholesale Produce Company. They only received one completed bid from Kilmer’s.
Beddow said that Kilmer’s is priced competitively and meets all the bid requirements.
Facilities
The school board approved pay applications of $149,000 and $113,000 for the Berkeley Springs High School Building D roof replacement as approved by ZMM Architects & Engineers.
The board also approved a pay application of $54,885 to Minghini’s General Contractors for the Morgan County Schools Safe School Entrance at Widmyer Elementary as approved by Williamson Shriver Architects, Inc.
Early dismissals, bus routes
The Morgan County School Board approved two-hour early dismissals for the 2023-2024 school year for Faculty Senate on October 6, December 21, February 16, April 19 and May 24.
The school board also okayed the school bus routes for the 2023-2024 school year. The bus routes will be published in The Morgan Messenger in August.
Substitutes in critical need
The board approved revising Policy 3120.12-Substitutes in Areas of Critical Need and Shortage-to reflect changes for the 2023-2024 school year.
Current areas of critical need and shortage are special education (LD, BD, MI and autism) reading specialist, reading education, World Languages, English Language Arts, science (biology, chemistry, physics, general, earth and space), math, social studies, physical education/health, English as a Second Language, family and consumer science, career and technical education, gifted, art, music, theater, dance, early education, elementary education, school library media, guidance counselors, school nurses and speech pathologists and alternative education.
Morgan County Schools Superintendent Kristen Tuttle said that critical need areas for substitutes were pretty much in every category.
Policies
The school board held a first reading of the following policies: Legislative, Group Health Plans, Privacy Protections of Self-Funded Group Health Plans, Privacy Protections of Fully Insured Group Health Plans and its additional special update, Virtual Education Program, Extended Learning Opportunities, Special Education, Selection of Instructional Resources, Instructional Materials Inspection and Right to File Complaint, Drug-Free Workplace 3122.01 and 4122.01.
Additional first reading policies are Non-Renewal of Probationary Teacher Contract, Anti-Harrassment and Violence 3362 and 4362, Employment of Service Personnel, Reduction in Force-Service Personnel, Non-Renewal of a Service Personnel Contract, Use of Medications, Administration of Opioid Antagonists, Federal Funds, Internal Controls, Fund Accounting, Annual Operating Budget, Purchases, Procurement-Federal Grants/Funds, Travel Payment and Reimbursement and Disposition of Personal Property.
Other first reading policies are Anti-Harrassment of Persons with a Disability, Student/Parent Rights, FMLA Leave, Tuberculin Skin Test, Web Accessibility, Content, Apps and Services, Staff Technology Acceptable Use and Safety, Public Records, Student Records, Use of Service Animals, Transportation, Public Complaints and Advertising and Commercial Activities.
The board is also considering deleting two policies: Adoption of Instructional Resources and Self-Administered Medication and Epinephrine Use.
The policies will be posted online on the Morgan County Schools website for 30 days for public comment.
Other
The school board approved the local standards for SDE 188 (Introduction to Programming Logic) Learner Outcomes as standards for the West Virginia Course 1704-Special Topics In Software.
The course is a 10-week online Blue Ridge Community and Technical College course in server side web development which introduces the basic concepts of programming logic.
The school board okayed the Professional Personnel Staff Development Handbook and the Service Personnel Staff Development Handbook for 2023-2024.