Mount Pleasant Area SD reports largely positive survey results for flexible instructional days; board approves routine personnel and contracts

Mount Pleasant Area SD board members on Jan. 8 heard a report on the district's use of flexible instructional days during early winter weather and reviewed survey results showing mostly positive responses from students and staff. Board members then approved a series of routine personnel, facilities and conference items by voice vote.

The report on flexible instructional days was given by Mr. Perez (staff member), who said the district had used four of the state-allotted five flexible instructional days as of the Jan. 8 meeting. "It is not an exact science," Mr. Perez said of decisions about bus runs and school openings during early winter weather. He told the board administrators monitor multiple data sources when making those calls.

Mr. Perez presented survey results collected from junior and senior high grades to gauge how remote learning days were working. He cited 485 student responses and 42 staff responses to the district surveys. "Seventy point nine percent of the students combined rated that as either excellent or good," Mr. Perez said. He reported that 84.7 percent of students said instructions for completing assignments were clear and 92.6 percent said communicating with teachers was "very easy to somewhat easy." Among staff respondents, Mr. Perez said 92.9 percent rated their overall experience as excellent or good and 97.6 percent said it was easy to communicate with students during flexible instructional days.

A student representative, Aiden (student representative), asked whether the district would add more remote days later in the year or extend the school year if weather forced additional closures. Mr. Perez said the district would continue collecting data on the program's effectiveness. He said that, if the district exhausted the five state-designated flexible instructional days but believed the approach was effective, it could use additional remote instruction under a different label because the state allotment had been exhausted, subject to meeting state-required instructional hours.

On consent and action items, the board approved multiple personnel and supplemental athletics appointments, extracurricular appointments, volunteer lists, finance bundle items, agreements for field maintenance and other facilities work, and several conference authorizations. Board members regularly used voice votes; the minutes record approvals with board members saying "aye," but do not list individual roll-call tallies in the transcript.

The board approved an agreement with TruGreen to treat high school baseball and softball fields and approved work to repair a sinkhole and relocate stormwater conveyance on a practice athletic field; the latter item was noted as pending solicitor review. The curriculum committee's motion to approve course changes (8.1) carried with the caveat that the motion was approved "pending the designation of a prerequisite criteria for the honors biology that includes multiple measures and the reconciliation of the course name for honors physics," language the board asked staff to clarify and implement before finalization.

Other items approved by voice vote included minutes from prior meetings, a Title I parent and family engagement policy, and conference attendance requests for the school librarian association conference and a Tech Talk Live conference. The meeting concluded with customary recognitions of students of the month and brief closing remarks from board members.

Votes at a glance - Approval of minutes (Wednesday, Nov. 6 and Wednesday, Dec. 4): motion moved by Mr. Coppula, seconded by Mr. Seeder; outcome: approved by voice vote (individual tallies not recorded in transcript). - Supplemental personnel, athletics (Brandon McCormick, 7th/8th grade baseball): motion moved by Mr. Coppula; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Supplemental volunteer athletics (Cal Jones, baseball): motion moved by Mr. Cedar; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Supplemental personnel, extracurriculars (items 4.3 numbers 1 and 2): motion moved by Mr. Bridal, seconded by Mr. Seater; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Supplemental volunteers (items 4.4 numbers 1–11): motion moved by Mr. Cedar, seconded by Mr. Poole; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Finance bundle (Section 5.1, items A–D taken together): motion moved by Mr. Coppula, seconded by Mr. Reibel; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Agreement with TruGreen for high school baseball and softball field treatment: motion moved by Mr. Poole, seconded by Mr. Seeder; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Athletic field sinkhole repair and stormwater conveyance relocation (practice field, ninth grade JV baseball field): motion moved by Mr. Reibel, seconded by Mr. Brooks; outcome: approved by voice vote; note: pending solicitor review. - Title I parent and family engagement policy (Section 7.1): motion moved by Mr. Coppula, seconded by Mr. Knoptschneider; outcome: approved by voice vote. - Policies listed as a first read (Section 7.2): no action taken; scheduled for further review and action in February. - Curriculum motion (Section 8.1: program/course approvals pending prerequisite designation and course-name reconciliation for honors biology and honors physics): motion moved by Mr. Coppula, seconded by Ms. Brooks; outcome: approved with the stated conditions by voice vote. - School librarian association conference (Section 10.1) and Tech Talk Live (Section 10.2) conference attendance requests: motions moved and seconded by board members; outcomes: approved by voice vote.

The transcript records the approvals by voice vote or "all those in favor say aye" and subsequent "Aye" responses; it does not provide individual roll-call vote tallies in the public session record included in the transcript.