BOGALUSA SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE-MEDIA CENTER

1705 SULLIVAN DRIVE

BOGALUSA, LOUISIANA

REGULAR BOARD MEETING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOW THE COMMITTEE MEETING

 

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING – AGENDA

 

Call to Order – Paul Kates

 

Pledge of Allegiance – Paul Kates

 

Prayer –  Odie Hughes

 

Roll Call:  X President Kates, X Vice President Creel, X Mrs. Breaux,  X Dr. Cook, X Mr. Hughes, X Ms. Mitchell,  X Dr. Williams.

 

1.         Amend the agenda to add an addendum to the 2023-2024 Bogalusa City Schools Student Code of Conduct Proposal as Item 10.

Odie Hughes made a motion.  Cathy Mitchell seconded the motion. The motion passed with unanimous approval.

            Roll Call Vote: Y Vice President Creel, Y Mrs. Breaux,  Y Dr. Cook, Y Mr. Hughes, Y Ms. Mitchell,  Y Dr. Williams,  Y President Kates.

 

2.         Approval of Minutes of Regular Board Meeting – August 31, 2023. Dr. Brad Williams made a motion.  Odie Hughes seconded the motion.  The motion passed with unanimous approval. 

*           Roniqua Watkins made a public response.

 

3.         Board Office and Committee Reports.

 

4.         Presentation – 6 of 6 Performance Goals Award for Multi-Year to Althena Jackson and Tammy

Crain, JAG Specialists. 

*           Althena Jackson, Bogalusa Middle School JAG Teacher, received the Skillsline Award.  The Skillsline Award was given to the top 10% JAG Teachers in Louisiana.    

*           Tammy Crain, Bogalusa High School JAG Teacher, received the 6 of 6 Performance Goals Award for Multi-Year. This is an honor the for top 10 in the State of Louisiana.

*           Dr. Eric Greely, Principal of Bogalusa High School, commended them for their hard work and dedication to our children. 

*           Linda Pittman, Secondary Curricular of Instruction Coach, presented the awards to the recipients.

 

5.         Recess to Public Session:  Roniqua Watkins.  Mrs. Watkins believes the board has not met her request for accommodations based on a hidden disability and feels our children suffer from the same thing.    

 

6.         New Business - Approve Finance Committee Report as a whole.

1.         Approval of a $500.00 one-time supplement to all full-time employees who complete the Vector Training Professional Development by December 31, 2023, paid with Esser funding.

2.         Approval to distribute Sales Tax checks to all full-time employees on November 2, 2023.

3.         Approval to discard system-wide fixed assets.

4.         Approval of Larma 2023-2024 General Liability Insurance.

5.         Approval of a resolution authorizing the Superintendent to sign the required Louisiana Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury Resolution.

6.         Approval of the Audit Louisiana Compliance Questionnaire fiscal year 2023.

8.         Approval for the BHS Girls’ Basketball Team (Grades 6th-8th) to travel to

Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, MS, for the Basketball Invitational. 

Travel period: October 7, 2023.

9.         Approval for Bogalusa High School JROTC (Grades 8th – 12th) to travel to

Fort Knox, Kentucky Army Military Base for JROTC Raider Nationals.  Travel

period: November 2 – 5, 2023.

                        10.       Approval for 2023-2024 Bogalusa City Schools Code of Conduct Proposal.

Toni Breaux made a motion.  Cathy Mitchell seconded the motion.  The motion passed with unanimous approval.

*           Roniqua Watkins publicly responded regarding Item 2 – Approval to distribute Sales Tax checks to all full-time employees on November 2, 2023.

 

7.        Superintendent – Dr. Byron Hurst. 

*            A school resource officer was hired for the high school. 

*            The Bogalusa City Schools District signed an MOU with Crime Stoppers.  If students or citizens witness a crime, they can report it on the Crime Stoppers app.  The information is collected at the sheriff's office and given to Phlesher Mingo, Supervisor of Child Welfare and Attendance.   

*            We will also implement panic buttons that students and employees can utilize if something should happen on the campus to alert authorities. 

*            We will order halos for the students' restroom and extra school cameras.  Halos are devices mounted on the ceiling that detect vaping, smoking in the restrooms, or any disturbance.

*            Training will be offered to the staff to discuss bullying to ensure they understand that it is adequately documented when a student reports bullying.

*            Our first district-wide professional development will discuss the Seven Mindsets Curriculum, a social and emotional learning curriculum.

*            We are rekeying all the doors to the central office.  Once all the schools have cameras, we will install cameras in the main office.  We have some employees who work after hours and want them to be safe.

           *            The high school will have one point of entry.  All visitors will have to enter through the front office.

           *            Landscaping will also be added to the high school.

*            The cafeteria at the high school has started serving fresh salads to the students, and they have been

popular.

*            The school administrators had Attendance Training provided by the Louisiana Department of Education.

*            The Bogalusa City Schools will use an online platform for board meetings called Simbli. This platform will hold all our board meeting agendas and minutes for public view.

            *           Taryn Spikes-Webb presented to the board the new website of the Bogalusa City Schools and also

introduced a new app to keep the parents informed. 

 

8.         Board Members' Comments

 

9.         Adjourn – 6:40 p.m.

 

__________________________________            _________________________________________

Dr. Byron Hurst, Superintendent                                     Paul Kates, President               

 

 

Bogalusa City Schools Board does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, age, disabilities, or veteran status.  We are equal-opportunity employers.