Thanks to Bisanz Brothers and Block Portrait Studios for their support.
The ISD 197 School Board heard about a non-concurrence vote from the American Indian Parent Advisory Committee and an update on a school-based health center.
American Indian Parent Advisory Committee Update
State law requires that districts with 10 or more Native American students have an American Indian Parent Advisory Committee (AIPAC), and every year that committee is required to vote on whether or not the district is meeting state requirements in serving Native students.
This year the AIPAC gave a vote of non-concurrence, meaning the district is not meeting the needs of Native students. The group noted tremendous strides, but since the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) requires this vote to be based on data, the results simply weren’t there.
The group offered three recommendations for improved collaboration and the district will have 60 days to respond with a plan:
- The district should complete the same self-assessment rubric provided by MDE. While it’s not new, it hasn’t been used before and will give insight into how the AIPAC was asked to measure the district’s progress.
- Meet with the Curriculum Team to provide more data and resources around reading and math.
- Hire a part-time American Indian liaison to focus on elementary students and families.
School-Based Health Center Update
The board heard an update on a proposed school-based health center, which is a safety net health care model situated in or near schools. There are more than 10,000 nationwide, but only 34 in Minnesota.
Why: They offer multiple benefits, including increasing attendance, reducing behaviors, lowering drop out rates, increasing graduation rates, disrupting disparities in education, reducing Medicaid costs, and more.
What: The plan is to start with immunizations and athletic/activity physicals.
Where: It would be hosted at Two Rivers High School.
When: The district is working out a partnership with Riverland Community Health and applying for additional funding. They’ve made significant progress, but it’s too early for a specific opening date.
Other Items on the Agenda
- Achievement & Integration: The board heard a budget update on the Achievement & Integration program, which is a $1.3 million program to increase racial and economic integration, reduce achievement gaps, and increase effective and diverse teachers. The district is in the middle of a three-year plan and there is a 5% budget increase ($50,000), which will mostly go to salaries.
- Cannabis policy: The board heard initial updates on policies around Drug and Alcohol Testing and Drug Free Workplace/Drug Free School, both of which mostly contain updates for the legalization of cannabis.
- Tech policy: The board also hear about updates to the Internet and Electronic Resources Acceptable Use and Safety policy, since the state now requires schools to have a cell phone policy.
- Goals: The board discussed proposed school board goals for the coming year. They had a lengthy list and worked to trim it down to something more manageable. A final list will come back for later approval.
Engage
- More: Agendas and minutes for ISD 197 School Board meetings are available online.
- Watch: You can watch the video recap from Superintendent Peter Olson-Skog and Board Member Jon Vaupel.
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