District superintendent outlines plan for student health center, cites grant applications and state policy risks

The district’s superintendent told the board the district has applied for several grants to support a student-based health center to be operated by La Clinica and said the district is ‘‘feeling good’’ about responses so far, though no awards have been made yet. She said the district has applied to the Cow Creek Umquah Indian Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, Roundhouse Foundation (by invitation), the Oregon Community Fund, the Carpenter Foundation and the Gordon Elwood fund, among others, to secure startup funds and operational support.

The superintendent also highlighted two policy developments at the state and federal level. She summarized House Bill 2251, described in the meeting record as a statewide cell-phone ban for students, noting the district already limits phone use at its junior and senior high and ‘‘is not expecting anything really overly impactful’’ beyond a loss of local control. On federal policy, she said Oregon and several other states chose not to sign a federal Title IX compliance certification as currently written; the superintendent described a threatened federal response—freezing federal funds—as a possible, but not realized, risk to schools, saying, ‘‘the freezing of federal funds would be deeply impactful to our school system, staffing, school lunches, and many other programs,’’ while also stressing that no funds have been frozen.

Why it matters: The health center could provide on-site health services to students but depends on external funding. State and federal policy choices could affect federal aid streams; the board was informed but took no action on either matter during the meeting.