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Board hears update on personal-device policy, parent meeting and alternative programming; medical director RFP draws inquiry
Summary
Superintendent O'Shea and staff said the district will hold a parent meeting Aug. 18 on the student personal-device policy (using Yondr pouches), confirmed alternative-programming placement and staffing at Cohoes Middle School, and reported the third RFP for a medical director has generated one physician inquiry.
The district presented several student-facing operational items at the Aug. 13 Board of Education meeting, including the first reading of an extreme-heat policy and steps for rolling out a student personal-device policy that uses Yondr pouches, a parent meeting scheduled for Aug. 18, and placement and staffing for alternative programming.
Superintendent O'Shea said Laura and Heather sent reminders about a parent meeting on Monday, Aug. 18; because of construction the meeting will be held at Cohoes Middle School. The superintendent and staff said they will work to stream the meeting and to include links to the district's personal electronic device policy. Staff indicated outreach materials and a short promotional video using student participants were planned for social-media promotion as part of the rollout.
On alternative programming, staff distributed a letter describing a program staffed by a team of four teachers (one teacher plus one teaching assistant in daylong coverage for part of the program) and a campus safety monitor. The program was described as recommending placement for up to 30 students (staff said about 27 were on the current recommended list). The program will operate at Cohoes Middle School with a separate external entrance; district staff indicated they could implement the program without major construction work.
The district reported that the RFP for a medical director (third solicitation) has drawn one inquiry; staff said the inquirer is a physician and indicated they expect a proposal. Separately, the district has three bids outstanding (Harmony Hill paving, transportation for McKinney-Vento services and the medical director/nurse practitioner procurement), with the paving and transportation responses due Aug. 20.
The board also reviewed proposed MOAs to provide morning supervision at the middle school and a similar model for the high school; staff said the change would not reduce teachers' planning time and that daily schedules were adjusted slightly to accommodate the supervision period (staff described minor minute adjustments to period lengths). The personal-device policy was presented for first reading; the second reading and adoption were scheduled for the board's Aug. 27 meeting.
