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RANDOLPH - The ending of this year’s legislative session set up some policy changes for schools across the state with Randolph Public Schools no exception.
The majority of the two-hour school board meeting Monday night - Jeff Hoesing’s last as superintendent - was spent reviewing required and optional policy changes as recommended by the district’s law firm.
In a legislative session fraught with filibusters, many of the education bills got wrapped into one - a situation Hoesing described as a “Christmas tree bill with all of these ornaments hooked on.”
New policy changes include schools developing a seizure action plan and identifying a point of contact related to behavioral awareness and health points - an individual with knowledge of behavioral health community resources.
Schools will also be required to collect and report information relating to student dyslexia - a learning disorder related to reading.
“Part of the difficulty is who diagnoses it? Is it a medical condition? Is it a cognitive issue? Is it a visual issue? There’s a lot of different opinions about that but there are supports in place to help a student who does not qualify for special ed that may struggle in other areas if we feel they may have something . . . that might be dyslexia,” Hoesing said.
Other policy changes relate to the school’s option enrollment of special education students and home-schooled students participating in public school activities, among other minor changes. Optional policy changes and student handbook updates were tabled until July’s meeting.
In other action, the school board approved a girls wrestling co-op with Osmond which involves only one senior Osmond girl for the upcoming season. The two-year co-op does not involve a mascot or team name change.
There are only three Randolph girls expected to participate in girls wrestling next year.
“It might help our girls too to have someone else to practice against,” said board member Sandy Owens.
Osmond’s school board also met Monday night but did not make a decision on the co-op. Instead the board decided to take the matter up again at its July meeting.
The board will be discussing the potential to form a unified bowling team which would consist of three players and two alternates.
The season runs from mid-October through the beginning of December which fits nicely in-between fall and winter sports, said Athletic Director Brandi Bartels.
“Some other schools in our conference do it. Osmond, Bloomfield, Ponca, all do unified bowling and had really good things to say about it,” she said.
Bartels said she confirmed the team could practice at the lanes at Mrs. Bubba’s in downtown Randolph.
The board did not take any action. Principal Denton Beacom encouraged attendance at a Randolph City Council public hearing at 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 14. At the hearing, citizens can provide input on potential solutions to alleviate elementary traffic flow on Bridge Street.
“One of the big concerns I have had is parents dumping their kids in the middle of the street and then we have cars coming,” Beacom said. “There’s a lot of semi traffic. I don’t think an inconveience for 20-30 minutes before and after school is worth a kid getting hit.”
Several options have been discussed including a physical barrier or arm that limits traffic flow to one way before and after school; crossing guards; and eliminating parking on the west side of the street with alternative staff parking in the rock lot behind St. Frances Chantal Catholic Church.
Another option is to develop the road behind the church for the buses to utilize.
After the public hearing, the city council will discuss the matter further with action expected at its July meeting.
City Councilman Daniel Korth brought the issue forward after hearing concerns from residents. Korth and John Dickes, the city’s public works supervisor, met with school officials to come up with potential solutions.
