Board of Education approves state teacher raises, updates code of conduct
The Homewood Board of Education's June meeting was brief on the morning of June 12. The agenda included contracts and financial matters, as well as changes to the code of conduct.
Board members approved a budget amendment for the 2017-2018 fiscal year enacting a state-mandated 2.5 percent raise for teachers, as well as maintenance and other expenses. While the raises take effect for the 2018-2019 school year, the fiscal year does not start until Oct. 1, and the school system had to budget additional funds for these raises for the first two months of school. The total budget amendment was $5,679.
Girls JV soccer head coach Katelyn Gettings also had her compensation adjusted, as she had previously been mistakenly listed as an assistant coach for the high school's junior varsity team. The adjustment resulted in a $1,070 change in pay.
The Board approved a number of contracts on June 12, including:
- $89,699 for a waste management contract from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2021
- $80,400 for environmental testing on construction materials as part of construction work at Homewood High School
- $25,020 for HMH Do The Math instructional materials, to serve as interventional education resources for the elementary schools. Do The Math will replace Vmath, Homewood's previous program
- Contracts for nursing services in the upcoming school year and a support contract for an Advanced Placement test administrator at the high school
The Board acknowledged that it is in compliance with the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and made changes to the schools' code of conduct. The changes include an amendment to the Equal Education Opportunity Statement to add that no student shall be discriminated against or excluded form participation in school activities on the basis of "sexual orientation, gender identity, affiliation with the Scouts or any other personal characteristics."
The anti-harassment policy was also updated, with actions that fall under the policy including violence or threats of violence, intimidation or behavior toward a student based on their personal characteristics that makes the student feel "afraid, embarrassed, helpless, angry, unsafe or upsets the recipient to the point of substantially interfering" with the student's education opportunities or performance.
If a student or parent feels a board policy has been violated or misapplied, they can file a grievance report to the superintendent within 30 days of becoming aware of the alleged violation. The grievance must include specifics of the action or decision in question, the school employee responsible for that action or decision and the desired resolution. Superintendent Cleveland must then schedule a meeting with the student or parent within 10 days of receiving the grievance, investigate the issue and give a written response within 10 days after the scheduled meeting.
The board added possession of tobacco delivery devices, such as e-cigarettes and vaping, to Class II offenses.
A copy of the code of conduct can be found on the school website.
The board also accepted the annual student incident report (SIR) for the 2017-2018 school year. The report tracks incidents that result in suspension, alternate placement and expulsion. This year's report showed one such incident at Edgewood, one at Hall-Kent, three at Shades Cahaba, 32 at Homewood Middle and 36 at Homewood High School.
At the end of the meeting, Superintendent Bill Cleveland noted that construction is underway at most of the schools right now and will continue into next school year.
The next BOE meeting will be July 17 at 9 a.m., at the BOE headquarters, 450 Dale Ave.