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SSD gears up for H1N1 vaccinations |
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Wednesday, 04 November 2009 |
By SHEA STASKOWSKI
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Mississippi Health Department officials have made a pitch to city school officials to have students vaccinated for the swine flu.
During the Starkville School Board meeting Tuesday night, Health Department Immunization Nurse Marsha Eaves discussed H1N1 virus vaccinations for students in the district.
“The Mississippi Department of Health wants to partner with the Mississippi Department of Education to get H1N1 vaccinations into the schools,” Eaves explained. “What we know about H1N1 is it effects young children and pregnant women primarily.”
That being the case, Health Department official hopes to vaccinate all school children, with the consent of parents, completely free of cost to the families, Eaves said.
“If they want it, we want to be able to give it to them,” Eaves said of the vaccination.
Due to the overwhelming response from districts all over the state, the MDH has set a tentative date of Dec. 14 to begin vaccinations for the SSD.
Board member Pickett Wilson expressed concern that the date may be too late and asked Eaves to check the availability of earlier dates.
Eaves also asked the district to tap into the PTAs at each school for volunteers come vaccination time. The next step will be for the district to distribute consent forms as quickly as possible for the hopes of having an earlier vaccination day once all consent forms are returned.
Buildings and buses
In new business, the board voted to approve a resolution pledging the district’s Education Enhancement Funds for building and buses.
“This is something Mr. Logan and other business managers have been advised to do to protect from future [budget] cuts... as this would be one of the first areas cuts would be made,” Supt. Judy Couey said.
They approved the dual enrollment agreement between the Starkville High School and Mississippi State University. The two institutions have had a dual enrollment agreement for several years; however, this is the first year SHS students will be able to receive high school credits along with their college credits. In previous years, if a student had a dual enrollment class, they received college credits, but had the potential to fall behind in high school due to not receiving high school credits for the advanced class.
“I think this is wonderful to give our students a head start,” member Dr. Keith Coble said.
Other new business, staffing
Couey asked the board to allow her to use assessment data for her doctoral degree dissertation she is currently preparing. She stated that she planned to use the data not only for her dissertation, but also to help recognize trends in test scores of district students to help catch potentially at risk students before it becomes a problem. They board approved her request.
Also in new business, the board voted to approve:
• A service agreement with Shred-It for on-site shredding services.
• A new job description for assistant attendance clerk at SHS. The position is not a new one; however, the position will incur added responsibilities that would require the employee to work an extra two hours a day.
The board on Tuesday approved the following hirings:
• Frank Nichols Sr. as a bus driver effective Oct. 21.
• Elizabeth Nicholson to be a secretary at SHS effective Nov. 4.
* Chiquita Thompson-Berry to be a business/computer teacher at SHS effective Nov. 4.
• Parrish Petty to be a PAC Monitor at SHS effective Nov. 4.
The board approved the following terminations, resignations and changes of status:
• Bus driver Ruby Peterson was terminated effective Oct. 6.
• SHS teacher David Lane resigned effective Oct. 8.
• Bus driver Carl Garner to add additional routes effective Oct. 21.
• Bus driver Mary Brooks to add Quad route effective Oct. 21.
• Bus driver Sara Brooks to add additional duties effective Oct. 6.
• Emerson teacher assistant Shalanda Anderson’s rate of pay to be changed based on educational preparation and movement to full-time effective Nov. 4.
• SHS PAC teacher Willie Gillespie to transfer from current position to youth specialist and project coordinator of office highway safety effective Nov. 4.
• Assistant swim coach Brecken Crabtree to be paid for two extra weeks.
• Head swim coach Angela Hobart to be paid for two extra weeks.
• Volleyball coach Diana Wileman to be paid for one extra week.
• Assistant baseball coach Charlie Smith to add additional duties effective Oct. 9.
• Tate Fischer to add additional duties for eligibility responsibilities effective Oct. 21.
The next regularly scheduled school board meeting will be held Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. before the retired teacher luncheon that will be held at Armstrong Middle School at 11:30 a.m.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 07 November 2009 )
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