Superintendent updates: PAS opt‑out, Chromebook safeguards, reading interventions, JROTC and new CTE grant

Superintendent Becky Burke used her April 8 report to update the board on three patron‑comment topics raised previously and to announce program and grant news.

On a reported "gift bag" incident at a school, Burke said administrators had investigated, met with the parent and documented the event. She reminded the public that documentation in student files is confidential and limited to counselors and administrators. Burke said a wrap‑around mediation that gathers all involved students, staff and parents is a preferred approach to resolving interpersonal incidents.

Burke also addressed the district's SmartPass (PAS) pilot. She said the board asked administrators to ensure parents were aware of an opt‑out; administrators notified Sandpoint High School parents of opt‑out procedures and staff will gather stakeholder feedback at the end of the school year. "My recommendation to the board would be that we let it continue for the rest of this semester...and then at the end of the year we gather that stakeholder input again," Burke said.

On district devices, Burke described three layers of oversight: the district content filter (which flags items daily), a parental monitoring product (Linewize) that parents can opt into for after‑hours monitoring of two devices per child, and a classroom monitoring tool (Classwize) teachers use to view student Chromebook activity in class. She said the filter cannot guarantee every undesirable item will be blocked but that it flags concerns and follows up. "That's why we pay for the filter system to be there," Burke said.

Burke reviewed reading data tied to Idaho's dyslexia legislation and the Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI). She said the district's K–3 proficiency rose from 69% to 73% year over year, and that district staff are identifying more students who need reading interventions because the district now screens and assesses readers more comprehensively. "This is a brand‑new thing that's been out the last couple years that our district is doing," Burke said, adding that the district is committed to ensuring "every student graduates a reader."

Program and grant announcements included the district's second‑in‑state JROTC program at Sandpoint High School; hiring of instructor Kyle Olmstead and work to certify JROTC as an approved CTE pathway. Burke also said the district received a five‑year renewal of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant at Southside Elementary and a $30,000 Blue Cross Blue Shield grant to start a sports medicine and rehabilitation services CTE program.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the report. No formal board action was taken on these items; administrators said they will return stakeholder feedback to the board after the SmartPass pilot is complete and will continue implementing reading interventions and new CTE programming.