School Board finalizes policies on drug testing, emergency response;  plans upcoming M&O Levy request

December 17, 2014

The Board of Trustees for Boundary County School District 101 met Monday, and among other things, finalized updated policies on drug testing of students, finalized changes to the District's Emergency Response Plan, and came closer to determining the amount they plan to request from voters for the upcoming 2015 Supplemental Maintenance and Operations Levy. Drug Testing Policy There have been several issues on drug testing that the School Board has taken under consideration, and they have had public discussions on the policy at multiple previous board meetings. At Monday night's meeting, the board finalized their policy as they voted for and determined the following: The drug testing program will apply to students in grades 7 through 12. Sixth grade students will not be included in the program. Students who violate the policy will have consequences that are specified, depending on the type of violation. Consequences include discipline such as being removed from the team they are on for the remainder of the season, being removed from any leadership position they may hold in the school, or other consequences. The board is considering changing the wording in the policy so that instead of saying that because of a violation a student CAN lose any leadership position in a school organization, it would instead say a student WILL lose their position. In addition, students who violate the policy will have "strikes," placed on their record, and accumulating more strikes leads to more severe consequences. However, it was determined that any junior high student promoting into high school who carries strikes on their record will have all strikes removed, except for one strike, to help them get a fresh start in their high school career with a chance to do better, but with the single strike remaining to remind them that consequences will result from further violations. Finally, there was a discussion at the Board meeting on the idea of doing pre-season drug testing for students involved in athletics. This would be in addition to the ongoing random drug testing which is already in place at the school and which would continue. It was argued that drug testing of athletes, including the proposed pre-season testing, was largely a safety issue in athletics. It was expressed that team members should have full confidence that all their fellow team members are clear headed and at full physical performance capability, as they rely upon each other in demanding situations, such as when cheerleaders are tossed into the air and caught by other cheerleaders, or when football players or other team members are relying on their teammates in physically demanding situations. After prolonged discussion on whether this rule should apply to only athletics or to all extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, the Board finally voted that the policy would include pre-season testing for athletic participation only. This new policy will begin immediately. The pre-season testing will cost the athlete $15, and the board mentioned that if this is a financial hardship for a family, funds may be available to help those who need it. The random drug screening as currently done throughout the year will continue, and all random testing is paid for by the District. Emergency Response Plan The Board voted to adopt major changes in their plan to respond to emergency situations, specifically in the context of bomb threats. It was noted that in the past, a single word scrawled on a bathroom wall led to a full evacuation of the school, with a full response from local law enforcement, medical personnel, and county emergency response resources. Under the new plan, each individual threat would be assessed individually, rather than having the same blanket response to any and all possible threats. If the threat is considered to be a simple, less-than-threatening repetition of previous threats, such as a word written on a bathroom wall, that may in the future lead to a much more limited response, if administrators determine it is a less credible threat. However, school administrators could determine with any threat at any time that a more complete response is required. Any threat that seems to be beyond what has proved to be more of a harmless threat in the past may lead to the full emergency response. The Board made it clear that changing this policy was not done lightly, that they have spent many hours over the last several months in investigating this issue, and in meeting with law enforcement, the community, and school administrators, to arrive at a policy that will be realistic and still provide a safe response to individual threatening situations. 2015 Supplemental Maintenance and Operations Levy The M&O Levy has been at $1.4 million dollars a year for the past two years, and the time has come to set a request for the 2015 Levy. The School Board just learned that the "forest funds" they have received from the federal government in the past have not been included in recent federal legislation, and as it now stands will not be provided. Those funds may or may not be reinstated at a later date, but whether those funds will ever be received is not now known. Superintendent Richard Conley reported that continuing with the same amount of $1.4 million from the last levy, especially without the forest funds, would be very difficult, and likely would not provide sufficient funding needed. School Board Trustee Ron MacDonald stated that requesting just enough money to get by for the 2015 levy will not work, especially if any unforeseen problems should arise. He pointed out that the roof of Valley View School is already leaking. A sprinkler system at Naples is in need of repair. The Middle School has huge energy losses through its archaic plexiglass windows, leading to wasting of money. Additional items in need of attention include: the floor scrubber at the Middle School is broken and in need of repair or replacement. The "new" track, which is now 10 years old, is in need of re-surfacing. The gym at Valley View needs new bleachers, the older current bleachers becoming more of a safety issue. The two buildings at Naples need to be connected, which is another safety issue as there are too many unmonitored entrances at the Naples campus. The computers available in labs at all the schools are dated. "Our technology is falling behind, and unfortunately teaching kids on outdated technology isn't getting kids where they need to be before they graduate," said Mr. MacDonald. Mr. MacDonald went on to say ""The longer we just 'make do,' and we just 'get by,' the more the buildings are going to start falling apart around our ears. At some point we're going to have to ask for more [levy funding] because these buildings are starting to fall apart." He further pointed out that the age of the school buildings in the county is also a factor: "My parents went to this school [Valley View], and they're 73 years old. I went to this school. I was one of the first classes in those portables over there, which were supposed to be temporary. My kids have been through those portables. At some point we're going to have to start paying for this." "There's only so much duct tape, and eventually, even as good as duct tape is, it's gonna give, and then we've got a mess," said Mr. MacDonald. Trustee Melanie Staples pointed out that raising funding for improvements or repairs on buildings would require a request and a vote on a Plant and Facility Levy, which would be separate from the annual Maintenance and Operations Levy. She further indicated that it has been many years since any Plant and Facility Levy was requested by the School District. Current Funding at Other Nearby Districts For purposes of information, nearby school districts of similar size were contacted by NewsBF, and following is information on the current M&O levies those school districts have in place, along with their current total school enrollment throughout each school district:    • Boundary County School District: A two year levy for $1.4 million each year, ending in 2015. Total student enrollment: 1,353 students.    • Kellogg School District: A two year levy for $2.78 million each year, ending in 2016. Total student enrollment: 1,139 students.    • West Bonner County School District (Priest River): a one year levy for $3 million, ends in 2015, was passed in 2014 by a margin of only 11 votes. Total student enrollment: approximately 1,200 students.    • Orofino School District: A two year levy for $2.285 million each year, passed in March of 2014 and ending in 2016. The Orofino School District also passed in 2014 a Plant and Facilities Levy of $100,000 per year for the next 10 years. Total student enrollment: 1,005 students.    • Wallace School District: A two year levy for $2 million each year, passed in 2014 by only 2 votes, 261-259. Total student enrollment: approximately 500 students. Final Decision on Levy Request to Be Made Soon After discussing this issue, the Board determined that they needed to have additional information, and wished also to take the time to look more closely at the funding needs of the district and money that would be required to meet needs for repairs and improvements on school buildings. They decided to have an informational meeting in another week to look at funding needs, then to proceed with a formal decision on the amount that will be requested of voters in 2015. The entire School Board meeting was broadcast live on the website www.boundarycountylive.com  The full replay broadcast is on archive there, and anyone can view a replay of the School Board meeting by going to that website.