001Limestone County Board of Education meeting is called to order. Notices for the meeting were properly posted and provided to those who requested directation. Let the record show that all board members are present except Dr. Maples and Miss Fqua. We will start with a prayer led by Mr. Young followed by a pledge which I will lead. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we come to you tonight thanking you for such a beautiful day. Uh we pray that you'll just be with us tonight as we go through this agenda and make decisions for our school system and with our new higher ease and our transfers and that they fit into the new classrooms and new schools that they're going to and we'll lead and guide our kids to further education. And also just pray that you'll be with us
002throughout the rest of this week. Amen. All right, middle of summer, but let's concentrate now. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Journ that was a good end with that. Um, we have an agenda before us. Do I hear a motion? Hello. Mr. Young offers a motion. Do I hear a second? I'll second. Miss Kilgore seconds. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? Motion passes unanimously. We'll begin by a superintendent report. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Um, just want to talk a few minutes tonight about the paid parental leave act. I know the board members have heard some things about this, but just wanted to talk briefly about um what's
003coming. It actually starts um taking effect tomorrow um July 1. So it it's right around the corner. Um but basically what it does, it allows eight weeks of paid leave um for eligible female employees um in connection with the birth, still birth or miscarriage of a child. and two weeks of paid leave for eligible male employees in connection with the birth, still birth or miscarriage of a child and eight weeks in connection with the placement of a child with an eligible employee for adoption. And so it gives some benefits to our employees um if they're having a child, adopting a child, they will um receive paid leave. the state is reimbursing the system $120 a day for the cost of the substitute. So, we will be getting getting some funds back um from the state
004as our employees um take that leave. I know we've already had some reach out to HR um about leave that's coming up. There are certain restrictions that are in place um regarding it. uh for example, it has to be within the 365 day period because you can take different types of leave. It doesn't have to be a straight eight weeks. It could be intermittent leave, for example. And the father can do that as well. So, you know, if they wanted to take some time to be with a child on a weekly basis, as long as the plan was approved, then they could do that as well. Um up to two weeks. So it does allow the father and mother some time um with their child. So um once again, eight weeks of paid parental leave
005for the mother in connection with the birth um of a child, two weeks of paid parental leave for the father, eight weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the adoption. Um if parents of course jointly adopt a child, only one gets the eightweek leave. Um not both. You know that if they work for the same system, they wouldn't both get the u paid leave. and um they have to let us know if there's a qualifying event um as far as them getting their leave. The um paid parental leave under this rule is available for use only during the 365 days following the commencement of a qualifying event and paid parental leave under this rule um may be used as I mentioned on a continuous basis intermittently or on a reduced scheduled basis. Eligible employees
006utilizing leave under this rule shall be subject to the following limitations. Um you know they have to of course continue their parental role and such intermittent or reduced schedule leave including leave taken for bonding purposes shall be agreed to by the employer prior to the start of the leave. So you know an employee in theory couldn't take every Friday off for the bonding purposes if we didn't approve that or you know the three days before the Christmas holidays. I mean, we have to approve that plan um before they're able to use it in in that way. But just wanted to share a little bit about this. We do have some forms that the state sent us to use um which we'll use those forms, but they will be changing that in October. Again, they just
007wanted to get the information out to us as soon as possible so our employees who are eligible um can take advantage of this. They do. For example, one stipulation is you have to have 12 weeks 12 months of pay. So, you know, employee that comes to us in three months um they're expecting they wouldn't be eligible of course for the leave. They can take their normal sick leave and so forth, but they wouldn't be eligible for the paid parental leave, but this does take effect starting tomorrow. Tomorrow. Tomorrow. Yes. Okay. Okay, that's all I have. Any questions? Item six, the consent agenda. Do I hear a motion? Mr. Hillyard offers a motion. Do I hear a second? I'll second. Mr. Young offers a second. Any discussion? What about the green houses? Why are we stopping
008those? So, we did bid two green houses. um one at Elkmont and one at West and there's just not a place to to put the greenhouse right away at West and so we were going to modify um the bid and to do that we really would need to um reject the bid and then bid it again. So, the plan is to rebid Elkmont um for a greenhouse and then we're also using this money which has to be spent by September 30th um to buy some new welding equipment. And so, we needed to expend the funds. We couldn't do it by rebidding the green houses. So, this allowed us to spend the funds and we will move forward with the greenhouse at Elkmont um in the new fiscal year which starts October one. Any other discussion?
009Hearing none. All those in favor? Motion passes unanimously. Item seven, discussion approval with personnel action. Do I hear a motion? I'm sorry. How? Number seven. Did you say number seven? Yes, sir. Miss Kilgore offered a motion. Do I hear a second? I'll second. Mr. Young second reluctantly. Any discussion? Yeah, I got a question u on the u uh position. Um well, where was it? We were creating a position for uh a special ed instructor at East that uh was involved, I'm assuming, with attendance that there as well. I thought we had someone there in that position. So, I was asking you about that. I'm sorry. Or did I read that? Page three. Is that C2? Is that what you're talking about? Page three. No. Let's see. I got to find where where it it was
010now. I had I had to get that out before. Is it a current position already approved? Is it They were using it as a sped aid and attendance at the same time. See, I don't know. Yeah, I think that position's always been it's still been there. I don't think it's a new position. This is for a middle school. Their their numbers are too large and they're self-contained. Oh, okay. So, I see you splitting it. Okay. Yes. Their numbers are very large with their special ed self-contained in middle school. And so this is to create a second um 04 unit at East Limestone for grades 6 through 8. Okay. So that makes sense to me. I I just I saw that and then and immediately had the question. I said who left? I wasn't aware of
011that. So thank you, Mr. Chairman. Any other discussion? We're now going to vote on item seven. All those in favor passes unanimously. Item eight, discussion approval, revision of Lone County Board of Education policy for 10, internet safety and use of technology. Do I hear a motion? Figured offers a motion. Do I hear a second? Second. Dr. Herring seconds. Any discussion? just like to say I think this is going to be extremely popular. Of course, you know, this I'll just say the system of course of has had these policies in place and procedures and you know with the safety part making sure we're monitoring what students are looking at. All those things are already in place. Um, I think that, um, you know, the law of course strengthens that somewhat and there are certain requirements, um,
012of the law that we have the internet safety and use of technology protections in place. But I know Linda's done a good job with making sure those things are in place so we can protect what our students are are looking at and what they're doing and how they're using their devices at school. And is the system that we're going to now does is is it set up to where you can prevent them from going to certain websites? It's already in place. Yeah, we have, you know, filters that certainly, you know, protect our kids from looking up certain things. And I will say this is I brag on her. You didn't ask me for this, but I'm going to say this is I brag on her. I don't see how she does what she does with
013the staff that she has. She does a great job. I'll just say that about Miss Linda. Any other discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? Motion passes unanimously. Item nine, discussion, approval, replacement of Limestone County Board of Education policy 6.21, 21 electronic communication devices with Limestone County Board of Education policy 6.21 wireless communication devices. We're swapping the old one for the new one. Yeah. Let's see you say that real fast. Yeah. Anybody want to offer a motion? I'll miss Kilgore offered a motion second. and and this is coming in line with the new laws that are going in place with the state. Is that correct? That that is correct. Yes, sir. And so, um, our attorneys have looked at this and, you know, they modeled this policy after the law. Um, you know, we still
014have to come up with some, um, handbook, student handbook rules of how we're going to enforce this and what we're going to do. Um there's been a lot of discussion at several different levels um about this. I want to get with principles a little more. So my plan is on the 22nd of July is you know we we've already approved our handbook but we will approve an addendum to the handbook that will have the rules that we'll have in place and how um will be enforced throughout the system. And as I understand it, uh we under state law, we cannot have u an electronic device in the building from bail to bail. Is that correct? Well, no. It can still there are some exceptions that can still be they can still be used, you know,
015for instruction, for example. Um you know, students can have devices. They have to be turned off and off person. Um, so yeah, devices can still be there, but um, they're they're limited on how they can use those devices. Um, some, you know, special needs kids, for example, will use devices. Every child has a device that we provided them. So, you know, it's not totally doing away with with every piece of technology that's currently in place. Um, it mostly is targeting cell phones quite honestly. Um, along with smartwatches and so forth that are in place as well. Okay. All right. Good. Any other discussion hearing? None. All those in favor? Motion passes unanimously. Yep. Um just want to recognize Miss Ve um in the back. So glad to have her. She's our new special education director
016and um she's going to get ready to start very soon and um we just wanted the board and everyone here in attendance um to have a chance um to meet her. Um she's recently been in Athens City and she's moving over to Limestone County. So, we're very glad um to have you and thank you so much for coming tonight. And of course um Miss Root could not be here tonight, the new principal at East Limestone High School. Um she's actually on vacation. and we didn't want to make her come back um for tonight's meeting, but um she is super excited about her. She really wanted to. Yeah, she did. She really would. She would have if we didn't need her to. Um but we're really happy to have her as a new principal at East
017Limestone High School as well. Thank you. Item 10, adjournment. Do I hear a motion? All for that. Dr. Herring offers a motion, a second. I'll second. All those in favor? Yeah, it's unanimous. Thank you everybody.