By Josh Staloch
Correspondent
SEYMOUR – The Seymour school board met Tuesday, Oct. 27, and on the agenda were topics ranging from the purchase of a new whiteboard to modifications to the high school’s drug and alcohol policy.
The board determined the old policies for drug and alcohol abuse among students were outdated, and therefore it unanimously voted to implement a policy which mirrors what most of the state is currently applying.
Under the old set of rules, a student’s first offense would automatically result in a suspension while a second infraction would see the student facing possible expulsion.
Under the new policy, suspension is not arbitrary and steps will be put into place to provide counseling through Pupil Services as an option to be explored before removing the student from class, depending on the severity of the offense.
The board also determined enrollment to be at expected levels with a pupil count of 2,125 for the district in 2020-21.
It was noted any anomalies in enrollment are likely coming from COVID-related concerns and from a few families who are choosing to homeschool at this time.
The Pupil Services portion of the meeting highlighted the district is running relatively smooth, given the circumstances, and staff and students are adapting to this year’s challenges.
“We did parent conferences this year and doing them virtually was interesting,” said board clerk and parent Paula Rohm. “Out of the teachers we talked to, three of them at the time were either in quarantine or had COVID, and they were still meeting. So, I just wanted to note the commitment of the staff.”
The district community will also be receiving a survey regarding upgrades to the middle/high school site to accommodate a new shop facility, which will feature a design lab, a fabrication lab and robotics.
The results of the survey will be discussed at the board’s Dec. 4 meeting.
The board also voted unanimously to purchase a whiteboard for the special education department to replace a faulty one.
The new interactive whiteboard unit will be acquired from Tierney Brothers at a price of $3,759.
Also to be reviewed at the December board meeting will be the board’s evaluation survey.
As far as financials are concerned, COVID expenditures have totaled $230,674.
That number includes $100,000 to the Wisconsin Virtual School for Online classes, as well as expenditures for physical barriers and disinfectants.
The board will meet next Nov. 24.