Blevins School Board
By Liz Woll, 11/10/20 9:18 PMThe Blevins School Board met Monday evening at 6:30pm in the Blevins School Cafeteria. The meeting started with prayer, the pledge, and the approval of the last meeting’s minutes.
One of the first topics discussed was the status of the offsite students. Some concern was raised about a handful of students that are performing poorly in at least one of their subjects. Several probable causes were discussed, including the entirely unforeseen outcome of some students taking on a job while also attending school virtually. This was in no way the intent of the virtual learning efforts, as they were meant to protect students from exposure. In light of this, as well as increasing difficulties with teaching classes both in person and virtually, Superintendent Stephanie Dixon proposed that all offsite students should receive instruction from the accredited distance learning platform Virtual Arkansas. This will only be an option for the offsite students who are succeeding with virtual learning. Any offsite students who are currently failing any of their subjects will be strongly encouraged to resume attending classes in person.
Another issue discussed involved the school’s upcoming virtual days. November 23rd and 24th were originally intended to be virtual learning days for all students, while the teachers would still attend in person. However, in light of their incredible efforts these last few months, Superintendent Dixon requested that those days be changed so that teachers could also attend virtually. Dixon is hoping this will be a much-needed morale boost for the staff. The change was passed unanimously.
Finally, the Superintendent wanted to address a bit of confusion surrounding the district’s new website. Part of the reasoning behind the creation of the new website was for the sake of unifying any updates or information that the school was posting. Previously, the district’s clubs had multiple separate social media accounts, which could at times give out conflicting information. Now, with the state-recommended unification of the district’s social media presence, those separate media accounts will be closed. However, the administration is seriously considering allowing students the responsibility of managing the district’s social media. All posts will still need approval by the administration before being published, but the administration has already begun talking with the yearbook club about this new possibility.
Other matters discussed include how next year’s enrollment may impact the school fiscally, the annual renewal of the Special Education Statements of Intent and Assurance, and this month’s Covid numbers.
For a full account of the meeting’s minutes, you can find them on the Blevins School District’s web page.
