Graduation date, rules set; board approved election resolution

ROSSTON – Graduation for Nevada High School will be at 7 p.m., July 9, in the school’s gym.

The Nevada School Board, in its June meeting Thursday night, was told, the graduates can invite 10 people each, but everyone entering the building will have to wear a mask and get their temperature checked. Initially, no one from out of state was going to be allowed to attend the commencement exercises, but Superintendent Rick McAfee said this restriction has been lifted.

However, there will be no mingling allowed before or after the ceremony and no one will be allowed on the court.

The district will get a dress rehearsal of sorts for graduation. On July 8 at 6 p.m. a ring ceremony will be held for the Blue Jay basketball team that won the state title back in February before everything was shut down. McAfee told the board this will give the school a chance to see how things will go for graduation. Those attending must follow the same guidelines as for graduation – wearing masks and having their temperatures checked.

In other business, Jason Holsclaw, with the Friday, Eldredge and Clark firm of Little Rock was on hand with an amended resolution for a special election for the district’s millage rate. Nevada’s millage rate bonds expire soon and the special election is to allow the district to continue collecting taxes at the current rate of 34.8 mill. The district is not asking for any increase and this is the millage the residents of the district have been paying since the school was created. It is not a new tax, but it’s important the millage be approved so the district can operate efficiently and safely.

The election is set for Sept. 8 and the bonds to be sold will be for $1,565,000. The millage breakdown shows 25 mill, the state’s uniform rate, will be used for maintenance and operation of the school, while the remaining 9.8 mill is to be used for debt service – such as the district’s ability to purchase things like new buses, computers, air conditioners, etc. This is the current debt service amount, which also hasn’t changed since the school’s inception.

When the board approved the resolution, Holsclaw said he’d take care of getting it printed. He told the district this is a good time for the election as the interest rate is low. He said another district passed a 30-year bond for 2.04 percent. “It’s a great time to be in the marketplace.” Holsclaw told the board he’d email the information to be given to the Nevada County Clerk to get things ready for the election, reminding the panel there’s a 60-day window for these things to be done prior to the election.

The board also passed a resolution concerning COVID-19. This resolution allows school districts to get waivers from the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) to get around existing policies due to the virus without having to wait a mandatory period. This is in case school can’t be held in the traditional manner and has to include a blended approach or distance learning or both. McAfee said it also changes leave policies for those unable to teach due to preexisting conditions. This resolution will remain in effect until the state of emergency has been declared over by the state.

Brandon Rhodes was named disbursing officer for the district. He replaced Todd Brown, who stepped down at the May meeting. Brown had a conflict of interest and resigned his seat on the board. David Barr was tabbed to replace Brown and, once he’s sworn in, will assume the duties representing the Bodcaw area at the board’s July 30 meeting.

McAfee told the board this has been a trying month as there have been a lot of changes from the ADE, sometimes conflicting one another. He said the district is trying to keep up, but the changes come frequently. One of those changes is how districts in the state will hold classes for the 2020-21 school year.

He said there are three options. The first it to attempt the traditional approach with students coming to school normally, but wearing masks, getting their temperatures checked daily and observing social distancing. Any student showing up with a temperature will be quarantined in the nurse’s office and their parents notified to pick them up.

Distance learning isn’t an option for the district as only about 25 percent of the students have internet access. This leads to the third option – blended classes. Under this option students would attend school on a split schedule, some coming on Monday and Wednesday, others on Tuesday and Thursday. Friday would be for the remediation of students needing help. McAfee said the district would do what it could to make sure family members attended on the same schedule to avoid the possibility of smaller children being left home alone.

There is a problem, he continued, it’s one facing every district in the state – transportation. There’s no way to enforce social distancing on a school bus, and if this can’t be done there’s no point in trying to enforce it elsewhere. He said students would need to wear masks while on the bus.

The district, he added, has ordered $15,000 in personal protective equipment, mostly reusable, washable masks for everyone, but the order might not arrive in time for the Aug. 17 opening day. If this is the case, he told the board, the district will hand out disposable paper masks until the cloth ones arrive.

McAfee pointed out there will also be problems with athletics, if there are athletic seasons next year. He recommended the board not make any decision on how to open school until the July meeting when, hopefully, more will be known about the virus situation.

The board also adopted a resolution to change policies, amend the student handbook and pay teachers for working extra duty, along with remaining in the CEP program which provides free meals to all students.

McAfee said whenever it’s possible to do safely, the district will hold a reception for Brown and present him with a plaque for his years of service.