Walton County School Board talks about Fall school plans [PREMIUM]

Story by STACY MARTIN

On Tuesday, July 7, the Walton County School Board held its regular school board meeting virtually. The board began with the approval of the regular agenda and the consent agenda.

Next item, Russell Hughes made a request for the approval of the school health contract renewal between the Florida Department of Health and the school district providing health services to all schools within the district. A motion to approve was made by board member Gail Smith and seconded by Bill Eddins. The motion carried unanimously. 

The next item was a request for the updated 2020-2021 Walton Learning School Calendar. A motion was made by board member Marsha Winegarner and seconded by Eddins, motion carried.  

The next item on the agenda was approval request for the Sacred Heart Health Care and Children’s Volunteer Health Network Memos of Understanding (MOU). According to the agenda, this is the approval for the Sacred Heart Health Center (SHHC) and the Children’s Volunteer Health Network (CVHN) medical providers to provide medical services to bus drivers and athletes as well as preventative dental care to students.  A motion was made for approval by Kirby, and second by Smith. The motion carried unanimously.  

Next, the board opened up the public hearing set for 5:13 p.m. for amendments to School Board Rules and Policies on reporting student misconduct. No public comments were made during the hearing. The board approved on May 5, 2020, to advertise amendments to School Board rules and policies.The rules and policies were reviewed by the board attorney, North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC), Director of Human Resources, and Policy Review Team.  The board approved the request with a motion from Eddins and seconded by Winegarner. 

The board then voted to open up the next public hearing to discuss the Student Progression Plan. No public comments were made during the hearing.  

The board voted in favor of the approval of the 2020-2021 Student Progression Plan with a motion by Winegarner and a second by Smith.

The last public hearing opened up to review the 2020-2021 Student Code of Conduct. No public comments were made at this hearing, and a request for approval was approved by the board with a motion by Winegarner, and a second from Smith.

Next item on the agenda was for the approval of the 2020-2021 SPICE Handbook and calendar.  Motion for approval was made by Kirby, second by Eddins with the motion carried. 

Hughes then requested the approval of the 2020-2021 ECTC Faculty and Handbook. A motion to approve was made by Smith and seconded by Winegarner, with the board passing the request.   

Another request was for the 2020-2021 Student Handbooks for the following schools: Bay Elementary School, Maude Saunders Elementary School, Walton High School, Voluntary PreK, Freeport Elementary School, West DeFuniak Elementary School, and Walton Middle School. Motion for approval was made by Winegarner, and second by Kirby, with the motion approved unanimously.  

Under the Safety and Security department, a request was made to approve the Comprehensive Emergency Operation Plan. Jeff Goldberg, with the Walton County Emergency Management system and Charlie Morris, presented information to the board regarding the plan, stating that it is the same plan that the district has been operating on for the past ten years. A motion was made by Eddins and seconded by Smith. The motion carried unanimously. 

The next item was a request for an amended Inter-local MOU between Walton County and the School Board of Walton County regarding the utilization of school resources during emergencies and disasters.  Motion made by Kirby and seconded by Smith, motion carried. 

Under the Finance Department, Hughes made a request to the board for approval of the FADSS 2020-2021 Membership Dues. Motion for approval by Eddins, and seconded by Winegarner.  The board voted in favor of the request.  

Hughes made a request for approval of the Seaside Neighborhood School & Foundation May financial reports. A motion was made by Winegarner and seconded by Smith. Final Resolution: Motion Carried.

Approval of the Walton Academy May Financial Statements.  A motion was made by Winegarner, second by Kirby, motion carried.

Under the Human Resources Department, request for the approval of July 7, 2020, Personnel Recommendations & Personnel Addendum. Motion by Kirby, second by Smith, motion carried unanimously.  

The next item was for the approval of Summer Employment, 3rd Revision. Motion by Winegarner, and second by Eddins, the motion carried unanimously.  

From the Curriculum and Instruction Department, a request for approval of the Cooperative  Agreement between School Board of Walton County and Early Learning Coalition of the Emerald Coast Teen-Age Parent Program (TAPP) Motion by Eddins, second by Smith; Final Resolution: Motion Carried. 

Next item, approval of Walton County School District School Counselor Plan for the 2020-21 SY. Motion for approval made by Winegarner, second by Smith. The motion carried unanimously. 

Approval of 2020-2021 School Year K-12 Uniform Assessment Calendar was requested to the board.  A motion was made by Smith and second by Kirby. Final Resolution: Motion Carried.

Approval of Panhandle Area Educational Consortium (PAEC) performance contract for Exceptional Student Education (ESE) consultative services. Motion for approval by Winegarner, and a second by Eddins. The board voted in favor of the request unanimously.  

From the Technology Department, a request for approval of Statement of Work for Howard Technology Solutions to upgrade the AV System in the CHAT room. A motion for approval was made by Eddins, and second by Kirby. The motion carried.

Under the Faculties and Construction Department, the board held its ranking And approval selection of an architectural firm for Freeport Elementary School classroom additions and master planning.  Four firms were pre-qualified and received a 45-minute presentation and interview earlier in the day.  The board was given a ranking sheet with the following firms listed: Caldwell & Associates,  DAG Architects, HoyStark Architects, and JRA Architects. The board ranked the firms according to their preference resulting in the approval of DAG Architects to receive the bid. The ranking order from the board is the following: the top-ranking firm was DAG Architects; the second was JRA Architects; third was Caldwell Associates Architects; and fourth was HoyStark Architects.  A motion to approve the rank and firm was made by Winegarner, and second by Eddins. The board voted unanimously, and the motion carried. 

The next items were the School Board Approval of Amendment for the use of Facilities Agreement with DeFuniak Little League Association. The DeFuniak Little League requested the use of the two newly purchased properties for baseball activities. This amendment would allow the same terms and conditions to govern the two new properties as listed in the original Agreement.  A motion for approval was made by Smith and second by Winegarner.  Final Resolution: Motion Carried.

Hughes then made a request for the board to approve the South Walton Athletic Complex Renovation; Deductive Change Order #1 in the amount of -$461,485.84 takes advantage of sales tax savings on this project. Eleven-Day time extension change order #2 for construction directive changes.  A motion for approval was made by Winegarner, and seconded by Smith. The motion carried unanimously.  

The next item was the School Board approval of South Walton Athletic Complex Renovation – Contingency Modification.  A motion for approval was made by Kirby, second by Smith. Final Resolution: Motion Carried.

The next item was the approval for continuous monitoring of freezer and cooler temperatures by your Trane Building Automation System will provide immediate notification when temperatures fall out of acceptable ranges, which will reduce the risk of loss of product that can occur when equipment fails, or doors are left open. The board voted in favor of the request with motion was made by Smith, and second by Winegarner.

Under the Administration Department, a COVID-19 update was given to the board. Total Florida positive COVID-19 cases were reported at 133,685, with a total of 3,848 deaths as of the time of the meeting. Walton County has reported, as of the time of the meeting, 372 positive cases with nine deaths. DeFuniak Springs has 143, Freeport has 25, Gaskin has one, Laurel Hill and Paxton area have one, Miramar Beach has reported 29, Santa Rosa Beach has 122, and Ponce de Leon has reported seven.  

A report was also given to the board on the Summer Bridge program, which is currently up and running. Kids are coming and wearing masks.

Hughes then gave the board an update on the fall opening procedures.  Hughes states that on Monday, July 6, Florida Superintendents were a part of a webinar meeting with Governor DeSantis.  Hughes noted that part of the new executive order would require each district to have in place an option for student interaction with their class and instructors, five-days a week, virtually from home.  Schools will have this option in place as well as the in-person classroom, which will return in the fall also five-days a week.  Hughes stated the there will be a comprehensive update available to students and parents by the end of the workday on Wednesday, July 8.  

At this time, the board received several questions submitted through the Microsoft Teams platform. The subjects all involved what the district’s plans were for reopening, rules, regulations, and potential issues and complications related to COVID-19. Each question and statement was addressed by the board and reassurance given that a procedure and plan update would be added to the school website. Parents will also need to notify the district of educational intentions by July 17.  There will be a form available to fill out and follow up for each parent. The forms itself will be official documentation of each parent’s fall plans.