Oak Ridge Board approves $99,110.72 security grant, personnel changes, new internet rule and VR classroom pilot

At a board meeting, the Oak Ridge Board of Education approved a FY26 public school security grant of $99,110.72, several personnel and position reclassifications, policy revisions, and accepted a donation of 30 virtual-reality headsets for Oak Ridge High School.

The actions are intended to fund targeted safety upgrades, expand services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, clarify submission times and internet use rules in board policy, and pilot virtual-reality instructional tools at the high school.

Superintendent Dr. Borchers told the board the federal or state FY26 security grant "will fund priority safety improvements identified in recent districtwide security assessments," and listed planned measures including increased Oak Ridge Police Department coverage at extracurricular events, installation of safety-rated bollards at Oak Ridge Preschool and Robertsville Middle School, upgrades to access-control systems and intruder-function door hardware. "The grant is, for $99,110.72," Borchers said.

Votes at a glance

- FY26 Public School Security Grant (amount: $99,110.72). Motion made by Dr. Hartman; seconded by Miss Webb. Motion passed unanimously. - Board Policy 1.901 (charter school applications: application submission time changed to 11:59 p.m.). Motion made by Miss Crank; seconded by Dr. Hartman. Motion passed unanimously. - Board Policy 4.406 (use of the internet: students prohibited from accessing social media on district internet except when expressly authorized by a teacher for educational purposes). Motion made by Dr. Hartman; seconded by Miss Webb. Motion passed unanimously. - Board Policy 5.2 (separation practices for tenured teachers: added language about including copies of documents relied upon by the superintendent when suspending). Motion made by Miss Craven; seconded by Miss Crank. Motion passed unanimously. - Board Policy 5.5 (discrimination and harassment of employees: policy revised to include the definition of anti‑Semitism as required by state law, cited in the meeting as Public Chapter 293). Motion made by Dr. Hartman; seconded by Miss Webb. Motion passed unanimously. - Addition of 1.0 FTE American Sign Language interpreter (preschool program for deaf and hard-of-hearing four-year-olds). Motion made by Dr. Hartman; seconded by Miss Webb. Motion passed unanimously. Funding reimbursement to be sought through the district—s high-cost reimbursement process at the end of the school year. - Reclassification of a 0.75 TA position at Linden from general education to special education. Motion made by Miss Webb; seconded by Miss Crank. Motion passed unanimously. - Reclassification of certain high school teacher positions to instructor positions with additional contract days; increased pay to come from instructional contingency. Motion made by Miss Craven; seconded by Miss Crank. Motion passed unanimously. - Prisms VR (Prisms of Reality) contract: acceptance of donated equipment and pilot at the high school (30 headsets donated). Motion made by Dr. Hartman; seconded by Miss Craven. Motion passed unanimously.

Superintendent and staff comments

Dr. Borchers said the security grant—s measures are designed to "enhance event security, protect high-traffic pedestrian areas, and strengthen the district's capacity for effective lockdowns." He identified specific installations at Oak Ridge Preschool and Robertsville Middle School.

On the Prisms VR agreement, district staff member Dr. Williams described the donated headsets as a classroom supplement that "goes beyond...virtual reality learning" by placing students inside problem-solving simulations tied to science and math instruction. Dr. Williams said the vendor is donating 30 headsets and that "Dr. Brian Jones will coordinate this effort at the high school to...do the initial training." When asked about timing, staff said implementation depends on delivery, setup and configuration.

Personnel and finance notes

The board approved adding a 1.0 full-time equivalent American Sign Language interpreter to support preschool students who are deaf or hard of hearing; the superintendent said the district will seek reimbursement through the high-cost reimbursement process. The board also approved reclassifying a 0.75 teaching-assistant position at Linden to special education because of student needs, and reclassifying some high school teacher roles to instructor positions with additional contract days to support program planning and recruiting for specialized roles.

Director of finance-level staff Miss Van Dyke reported the fiscal year closed in June with revenues exceeding expenditures by about $1,500,000.

Public forum and other items

During public forum, Sean Taylor introduced the Health and Educational Facilities Board for the city of Oak Ridge and described its role in planning, levies, bonds and facility acquisition or disposition. Several schools and programs were highlighted in the meeting's good-news segment, including Oak Ridge High School cadet mentoring for NJROTC at Lakeway Christian Academy and national competition results for TSA and FCCLA students.

What—s next

Board members announced upcoming meetings and events, including a TSSBA fall district meeting and school visits; the next regular board meeting was scheduled in the meeting room on Sept. 22, according to the board calendar announced at the close of the session.