Once again, policy 404 which deals with Employment Background Checks was on the agenda at the May 8 meeting of the Lanesboro School District. This was the third reading of the policy which had been tabled at a previous meeting.
Superintendent Matt Schultz had done exhaustive research and prepared a rough draft of procedures that could be implemented to follow the legal requirements of the policy. Under the suggested procedures, a background check would continue to occur before prospective employees begin employment. The expense of the check would be totally the applicant’s; this check would be more extensive than it has been in the past.
Currently, the school hires Verified Credentials to do the checks at an expense of $120. Schultz found another company, Trusted Employees, which only charges $25 for an employee background check and only $8 for volunteers. The volunteer check has an online component which would streamline volunteer checks.
Yearly, non-certified staff would need to respond to questions similar to the ones asked of teachers when they renew their licenses. If anyone answers yes that they have had any criminal charges since the last check, they would be subject to an additional background check.The school would then decide further action. If an employee were to lie answering the questions, they could be terminated. Certified staff would need an MOU (memorandum of understanding) to add this to their contracts.
Volunteers who accompany students off campus or work on campus with students not under the supervision of a teacher would need to have a background check on a yearly basis.
The board directed Schultz to take the draft to the school lawyers for input on the legality of the draft. It was stressed that such procedures are not in contradiction to the policy. While the board could have accepted policy 404 and added the procedures later as an addendum, they opted to once again table the policy until they were ready to approve the proposed procedures at the same time.
Food Service
Schultz reported back to the board on his search for a food service management company for the school. He received a 100 page document from the Minnesota Department of Education that needs to be completed in order to put out an RFP (request for proposals). This RFP would then be sent out to food service management companies and posted.
Schultz checked with 20 area schools about their food service. He found that about half of the schools use a food service company and heard no negative feedback.
Bills for the service can be done in two ways; one is a bill per meal price and the other is a flat rate. The school would be responsible for the facilities and equipment; the company would take care of the day-to-day service and hire the staff. Food would still be prepared onsite. A yearly contract would need to be signed with renewals available.
The school would be responsible for building a 100 point scale to decide which company is hired; there is a requirement that the most heavily weighted consideration would need to be price.
The board decided to proceed with the RFP. Schultz shared that the business office has been working on the document and expects to be ready to send it to MDE in a few days. Hopefully, the board will be able to make a decision at their next meeting.
Art Updates
Teacher Stena Lieb shared highlights of her experiences at the National Art Education Conference in Minneapolis. She enthused about the presenters, especially an Oneida bead worker whose work fit in with art Lanesboro students had studied.
Three students are going to state competition at the Perpich Center for the Arts. A recent Fine Arts Night presenting visual arts, band and choir at the school was a success.
Other Business
In other business the board:
- Approved policies 403, 406, and 412 after a second reading;
- Discussed whether they wanted to add policy 513 dealing with student promotion, retention, and program design; they opted to continue to follow state law and not add the policy;
- Approved the issuance of purchase orders for 2024-2025;
- Accepted a bid of $9,957.67 for seven cameras to be placed in the school and the accompanying licensing;
- Approved sports cooperation with Fillmore Central and Mabel Canton Schools;
- Heard that professional development funds will be used to offer empowerU mental health curriculum which gives CEUs to teachers;
- Established the superintendent review timeline – a summary will be presented at the next meeting; Schultz’s contract is due to be renewed before July 1;
- Gratefully accepted donations of $5,000 from the Gathje family for football field posts, $3,200 for scholarships, $775 for FFA and $10 miscellaneous.
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