Registration for Upcoming School Year is August 5th
Editor's Note: The date for registration has changed since this meeting. Please check with the school for accurate information.
The Council School Board met for their regular meeting on July 16th. Bob Grossen was absent, all other board members were present.
In his administrative report Brian Joyce stated that registration for the upcoming school year is August 5th. The class schedule is also set for the year, pending some minor ‘tweaks’. Joyce reported that the summer weight lifting program is well attended and that the Golf and Football teams held successful fundraisers at Council Greens.
Royce Bauer gave his report regarding the facilities. He stated that the back gravel parking lot at the Elementary School will be bladed in the coming weeks.
A discussion on updating the Student Handbook was led by Joyce. Recent policy changes necessitated some revisions. Fees for participation in sports are likely going up this year.
Current cell phone policy for students is essentially “Out of sight, out of mind”. The board seems supportive of revising current policy to limit or ban any student cell phone use, citing successful policies in other districts in the state. This action was tabled until a future meeting to allow board members time to review the student handbook before approving changes.
Policy 5320P, drug testing of staff members, was discussed next. This was also tabled until a future meeting to allow time for drafting policy for the board to read. However, the board seemed generally supportive of random drug testing for staff as well as a ‘Safe Harbor’ clause to allow a staff member to come forward and disclose their substance abuse in an effort to seek help.
Several new state laws took effect recently and the district is working to comply with these. Discussed were HB710, which aims to keep objectionable materials out of libraries, HB538 which, according to the state legislature website, “prohibits any government entity in the state of Idaho from compelling any public employee to communicate preferred personal titles or pronouns that do not correspond with biological sex of the individual seeking to be referred to by such title or pronoun”. Finally, HB521 & HB766 which creates methods for school districts to receive funds from the state to improve and maintain school buildings.
