January 8, 2025 at 5:45 PM - School Board Meeting

Description:  "The Sitka School Board acknowledges that our schools are located on the ancestral homelands of the Tlingit people who have lived in Sheet’ka since time immemorial. We express our deepest respect and gratitude for our indigenous neighbors, the Tlingit for their enduring care and protection of Tlingit Aani." 

Description:  (All items listed under Agenda & Consent Agenda are considered routine by the School Board and will be approved in one motion. Items may be removed at the request of a School Board Member.) 

Description:  Nothing to Report for December

Description:  **Remove Administrative Regulation**
This administrative regulation implemented the old star rating system for school accountability, which has been revised and replaced in state law and regulation. The current school accountability regulations, 4 AAC 06.800 - .899, are reflected in model Board Policy 0520, which was updated in 2021 to reflect the changes.
 

Description:  **Remove Board Policy**

As with BP 5121, AASB believes this policy, which permits the withholding of grades, transcripts, and diplomas if a student is indebted to a district for lost or damaged items, does not reflect best practice. AASB recommends removing and archiving this policy in its entirety for the following reasons:
 

• Withholding grades, diplomas, or transcripts can have significant long- term consequences for students and their post-secondary employment or education opportunities, and in turn on their families and communities.

 

• Students earn their grades and diplomas by demonstrating mastery of the content. If a student has earned their grades or diploma, they should not be withheld as a punishment or deterrence.

 

• School districts have other means to seek reparations or recover losses from equipment or property damages, rather than withholding grades, diplomas, or transcripts.

 

• The language suggesting that students who are unable to pay for assessed damages should provide voluntary work instead is inequitable. Voluntary work and community service can be an appropriate assignment for all students. Those students whose parents can afford to pay for damages should not be exempt from community service if the district deems this an appropriate response to property or equipment damage.

The model policy has been updated to remove this policy in its entirety. However, individual districts may revise this policy as they best see fit.
 

Description:  **Remove Exhibit**
This exhibit was a notice to parents created as part of the transition from the No Child Left Behind Act to the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2016. It is no longer applicable and may be removed.
 

Description:  BB-9020 - Board Standards is being revised to specify that the AASB Board Standards have been adopted by the SSD School Board.
 

Description:  This update modifies AR 0510 to simplify the regulation and bring it into compliance with provisions necessary for a District Report Card under AS 14.03.120 and 4 AAC 06.895. The specific requirements of the report card have been removed from the regulation so as to not require updates based on regulatory changes. The requirements of AS
14.03.120 and 4 AAC 06.895 remain and are cited in the regulation.
 

Description:  This update includes additional language to clarify that poll voting by a school board is not permitted and all official board action must be taken in an open meeting.
 

Description:  This update clarifies that a board president and superintendent may reject community requests to place an item on the board agenda.
 

Description:  This update revises the policy to reflect the student retention procedures required by the Alaska Reads Act.
 

Description:  This minor update revises the language of the policy to clarify expectations for students riding the bus.
 

Description:  This policy has been updated to reflect the removal of BP 5125.3, above. If an individual district does not remove BP 5125.3, this policy should not be updated.
 

Description:  This revision updates BP 5131.6 to be in compliance with House Bill 202, which passed the legislature and became law this summer. The bill will become effective in December of 2024, but this policy revision may be made now. The bill and policy update require that districts have opioid overdose drugs available at each main school building and at school-sponsored events. It is also requires that a district have at least one person trained to administer the drugs at each main school site.
 

Description:  This minor update revises language regarding health examinations for students, and clarifies that districts may require health examinations for student participation in extracurricular activities.

 

Description:  This minor update updates the model policy on At-Risk Youths to utilize best practice language and clarify districts should be an active participant in identifying students in need of aid.
 

Description:  This update clarifies that under state law, personal or philosophical opposition to vaccinations is not sufficient to receive an exemption from the state’s mandatory vaccination requirements for students. The only exemptions permitted are for medical or religious reasons. The update also provides that students who are considered homeless under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act may be provisionally admitted to school even without a vaccination record.
 

Description:  This update adds language to address damaged or lost equipment along with damaged or lost instructional materials. It has also been updated to reflect the removal of BP 5125.3, above. If an individual district does not remove BP 5125.3, the edit removing reference to BP 5125.3 should not be accepted.
 

Description:  Persons to be Heard Preamble 
Persons to be Heard is an opportunity for members of the public to speak to the Board about a topic that is not on the agenda.  No board deliberation or action will occur in response.  Questions for clarification may be posed by Board members.  The Board may choose to refer non-agenda items to the Superintendent (or designee) for further action.  The standard time limit for comments will be 3 minutes, unless otherwise stated by the Board President, with consent of the Board.  A timer is used, and a sound will indicate when time expires. 
All comments must be respectful and charges or complaints against specific employees are not permitted (per Alaska state statute).  Members of the public are referred to Board Policies 1312, 1312.1, 1312.2, 1312.3 (and associated Administrative Regulations), as well as to Board Bylaw 9323(a), for information about how to lodge complaints. Speakers are also asked to please state their full name for the record, prior to speaking. 

 
 

Description:  Dr. Jenson and Dr. Hollis-Buchanan will demonstrate Balancing Act school budgeting tool.

Description:  Dr. Jenson, in collaboration with building principals, created a list of building maintenance projects to be funded with Prop 2 money from the City of Sitka. Dr. Jenson, working with City Administrator John Leach and City Maintenance Superintendent Connor Dunlap, compiled the final list to present to the board for approval.