Anchor Bay Board approves audits, facility repairs and multiple student discipline actions; volunteer appeal denied

The Anchor Bay Board of Education on Oct. 22 accepted a clean independent audit, approved several facilities contracts and change orders, and voted on multiple student discipline cases following closed sessions — including three suspensions and one expulsion. The board also denied a parent’s appeal to be placed on the district volunteer list.

The board’s meeting opened with routine business and a student representative swearing-in. After an audit presentation, the board moved through the consent and personnel items, approved field trips for DECA and the dance team, approved policy updates and a principals appreciation resolution, and voted on facilities contracting and student discipline after a late-night closed session.

The audit from Raymond CPAs received an unmodified ("clean") opinion on the district’s 2024–25 financial statements, Auditor Dan Merritt told the board. Merritt said the district’s total general fund balance stabilized at about 25 percent in fiscal year 2024–25 and that finance staff had produced documentation that supported the audit work. He also reported the single-audit of federal awards is effectively complete but issuance has been delayed by a federal shutdown that has held up federal guidance.

On facilities, the board approved a change order for asphalt work at Anchor Bay High School after contractor ASI began milling pavement and encountered soft subgrades that required excavation and replacement of base material. The board approved an additional $29,300 for the work. Board members raised concerns during debate that the project produced only one bid in August and that the district should aim for multiple competitive bids in future projects.

The board also awarded a contract for a replacement heat exchanger at Nalder Elementary to Mechanical System Services for $29,750. Administration said Mechanical System Services is a preferred vendor who met qualifications and provided three competitive quotes for that job.

During the public-comment portion, ABEA President Jamie Petron told the board she was disappointed with how long an investigation into an intruder at Anchor Bay High School took to complete, saying the probe took roughly 125 days and that repeated inquiries had gone unanswered. A parent representing special-needs students thanked the district for a fence installed at Nalder Elementary; another parent, who sought placement on the district’s approved volunteer list, spoke in favor of her appeal and described a 2013 charge and subsequent life changes.

That volunteer appeal — heard under the district’s new volunteer-appeal policy — was put to a roll-call vote. The board voted to deny the appeal.

After moving into closed session under the Open Meetings Act (Section 8(b)) to hear student-discipline matters, the board returned after the closed sessions and took the following actions by motion and roll call:

- Student #14535: suspended for 51 days with 30 days held in abeyance; may return Oct. 27; required to begin a behavior plan, avoid major infractions, and participate in district "My Best" program. Motion carried on a recorded roll call with the board voting in favor.

- Student #06353: suspended and may return Dec. 1, 2025; district to provide online schooling during suspension; student must have passing grades during suspension; no negative contact with law enforcement; no presence on school property or at district events during suspension; reentry meeting required. Motion carried on recorded roll call.

- Student #05881: suspended and may return Jan. 5, 2026; online schooling provided during suspension; passing grades required; counseling encouraged; no negative contact with law enforcement; no presence on school property or at district events during suspension; reentry meeting required. Motion carried on recorded roll call.

- Student #14661: expelled until March 9, 2026 (not permanent); district to provide online schooling during expulsion; passing grades required; counseling encouraged; no negative contact with law enforcement; not permitted on school property or at district events during expulsion; reentry meeting required on return. Motion carried on recorded roll call.

On the volunteer appeal (identified in the public record as "Parent A"), the board voted to deny placement on the approved volunteer list. A roll-call vote recorded a majority voting against approval; one board member indicated they would not be comfortable with the parent volunteering in the district and another suggested the parent might return with additional documentation about more recent incidents.

Other routine approvals included: acceptance of the 2024 and 2025 audit reports (motion carried), approval of the second reading of Policy 4003 (employee salary schedules) as recommended by district counsel Miller Johnson, adoption of a principals appreciation resolution (clerical year corrected in the meeting record), and approval of multiple field trips (DECA regional and national trips and a high-school dance-team trip).

Board members and staff flagged several operational issues during the meeting: a newly hired aquatic-center coordinator who resigned the day after hire to pursue graduate school, and board members asked administration to convene a discussion about the board’s role in reviewing personnel items that routinely appear in consent agendas.

The meeting ended after the closed-session actions; the board adjourned in the early hours after reconvening to open session and recording the disciplinary votes.