PROCEEDINGS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF THE PARISH OF CONCORDIA, STATE OF LOUISIANA, TAKEN AT A SPECIAL MEETING HELD ON THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020.

 

 

The School Board of the Parish of Concordia, State of Louisiana, met in Special Session VIA ZOOM, on Thursday, April 23, 2020, at 6:00 o’clock p.m.  The meeting was called to order by Mr. Fred Butcher who after prayer and the Pledge, declared that the Board was ready for the transaction of business.

 

Members present were Mr. Warren Enterkin, Mrs. Dorothy Parker, Mr. Fred Butcher, Mr. Derrick Carson, Mr. John Bostic, Ms. Angela Hayes, Mrs. Lisette Forman, and Dr. Raymond Riley.

 

Board Member Mr. Ricky Raven entered Zoom at 6:35 p.m.

 

After a brief discussion, it was moved by Mrs. Parker, seconded by Mr. Bostic and carried to approve the following Addendum to the Pupil Progression Plan for the 2019-2020 school year:

 

Addendum to Pupil Progression Plan

2019-2020 School Year

Due to School Closure and the State's Response to Covid-19

 

1.         The following information will be added to section

 

            II. Attendance 

On April 15, Gov. John Bel Edwards ​signed a proclamation​ to extend the closure of public school facilities to students for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year, to curb the spread of COVID-19. This proclamation included a waiver for attendance and seat-time for all students grades K - 12. 

 

            III. Grading Policy

On March 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education​ approved Louisiana's waiver request​ of assessment, accountability, and reporting requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act. This means Louisiana will not require standardized testing for the 2019-2020 school year. 

 

The assessment waiver eliminates the required LEAP 2025 assessments which include End of Course (EOC) tests.  Students in grades 8 - 12 will not be required to take EOCs for the courses in which they are currently enrolled. As a result, the grading policy outlined in Bulletin 741 section 2318 will not be followed. For the 2019-2020 school year, the grading policy will eliminate the EOC percentage of 20%. Note: Students other than seniors will still be required to pass the paired EOC for graduation requirements as those courses are completed in future school terms. 

 

The assessment waiver also applies to students with IEPs who qualify for ACT 833 testing including the elimination of the EOC percentage from the EOC course final grade. 

 

For the 2019 - 2020 school year, final grades for all students in grades 1- 12,  will be calculated as follows:

·        Semester 1 will be 50% of final average

·        3rd nine-weeks will be 25% of the final average

·        The 4th nine-weeks will be students highest 9-week average and will count for 25% of the final grade

 

Credit Recovery will be offered to high school students on a volunteer basis for students that choose to complete the work before August 3, 2020. The coursework will be provided through an online provider, Edmentum, which is working as a partner with Concordia Parish School Board. 

 

Summer remediation through an online format will be provided to students in grades 1-8. The selection of students will be based on the final grade, school recommendation, and parental agreement. ESY services will be determined on a case by case basis for students with disabilities.

 

V. High School Graduation Requirements

 

The following requirements have been waived by the LDOE for the 2019-2020 graduating class:

·        FAFSA Completion

·        End of Course Assessments

·        Workplace Credentials

 

The following policies have been changed as a directive from the LDOE for students who are enrolled in EOC courses for the 2019-2020 school year.

·        Students on the Jumpstart pathway that were enrolled in Algebra 1 and never attempted Geometry will receive EOC assessment credit

·        Students who are enrolled in Algebra 1 that is on the Core 4 path or have attempted Geometry must pass either Algebra 1 or Geometry EOC to graduate

 

            X. Additional LEA policies related to student placement and promotion

 

IEP teams (including the parent) shall determine promotion to the next grade level for students. Factors to consider include parent request, the chronological age of student, number of years in school configuration (ex. K-2, 3-5, 6-8), and functioning levels of the student.

 

If a student with a disability has an unresolved conflict, they may also follow the procedural steps listed in the regular due process section (steps 1-8). However, issues regarding a child’s disability, identification or eligibility, evaluation, the level of services or placement, the provision of FAPE, or payment for services obtained, should follow the dispute resolution process for resolving disagreements. This process can be found in Louisiana's Education Rights of Children with Disabilities. 

 

Students that can’t meaningfully participate in the curriculum will be assigned “S” for satisfactory and “U” for unsatisfactory, and “N” for needs improvement.

 

2.         For the 2019-2020 school year, students currently enrolled in Dual Enrollment courses were given the option to drop Dual Enrollment courses with no penalty for either the LEA or the University. 

 

The following Announcements were made by Superintendent Shirley:

 

1.      May 1 is our official return to school date.

2.      Election Dates have been rescheduled.

NOTICE OF RESCHEDULED ELECTIONS

Pursuant to Proclamation No. 28 JBE 2020, issued on March 13, 2020, the elections previously scheduled for April 4, 2020 and May 9, 2020 have been rescheduled for June 20, 2020 and July 25, 2020.  Early voting for the June 20, 2020 election will be held June 6-13, 2020 (excluding Sunday, June 7, 2020) and early voting for the July 25, 2020 election will be held July 11-18, 2020 (excluding Sunday, July 12, 2020)

3.      Thanks to Ms. Michelle Bethea and her staff, we handed out 357 boxes of food this past Monday.  We will have the same time and pick up this coming Monday, April 27, 2020.

4.      Financial Disclosure statements are due May 15, 2020.

5.      I will be mailing a survey draft to Seniors and their parents to see what their thoughts are on graduation plans.

6.      Pay Day is tomorrow for our employees.  Pay stubs were mailed out Wednesday.

7.      The State Superintendent search is still ongoing.  Finalists are Jessica Baghian, Cade Brumley, Debbra Lindo, Lonnie Luce, Heather Poole, Joe Siedlecki, and Paul Vallas.  

 

It was moved by Mr. Bostic, seconded by Mr. Riley and carried to adjourn at 7:01 p.m.