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District to bid high‑school gym floor replacement after hazardous tartan discovered; cybersecurity cohort and policy updates also on agenda
Summary
Superintendent Bill said the district will advertise bids to remove an old tartan surface that contains mercury, abate hazardous material, and install a new gym floor; the district also added a cybersecurity cohort to the agenda and presented policy updates for 30‑day review.
Superintendent Bill told the board on Jan. 13 that the district will advertise bids to replace the Mount Vernon High School gym floor after discovering that the 1980s tartan underlayment contains mercury and is failing. The renovation will be a two‑step process: hazardous‑material abatement to remove the tartan underlayment and then installation of a new floor system down to concrete.
Bill explained that the existing design placed a wood floor over partial tartan and a set of small support discs that are now disintegrating, creating uneven and unsafe areas. Hazardous‑materials removal will require sealing ventilation and using a specialized abatement contractor; only after the tartan is removed to the concrete can a flooring contractor install a new wood surface. The board also discussed small bleacher adjustments to allow full extension, relocating the scorer’s table (the “hive”) and adding a shot clock to comply with evolving high‑school game standards.
Separately, the superintendent said an added agenda item briefs the board on a cybersecurity cohort the district joined with neighboring districts and LACCA to audit and scrub older student‑data records (including Social Security numbers) and harden systems. The district noted it uses ProgressBook (not PowerSchool) but is reviewing historical data retention and removal to reduce risk.
The meeting also included a first reading of multiple board policy updates; the superintendent said most changes are cleanup and that policies will return after a 30‑day public review.
Why it matters Gym‑floor replacement involves hazardous‑materials abatement and capital work with safety implications for athletes and events; cyber‑security work addresses data‑security risk. Policy updates affect district governance practices and require public review.
What’s next The district will issue bid advertisements for abatement and floor replacement, proceed with cybersecurity cohort work to scrub legacy sensitive data, and present policy revisions for final board consideration after the 30‑day read period.
