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Wood BOE names new Middle School Athletic Director

Hears presentations on special education recording, personal leave

By Douglass Huxley 7 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Jacinda Taylor was named the new Middle School Athletic Director Tuesday night during the regular meeting of the Wood County Schools Board of Education.

"I want to thank the people that spent their time trying to get a middle school athletic director," Board member Ron Tice said. "It was a struggle. And I'm glad we decided on Ms. Taylor tonight. I'm sure she will do a great job."

The board also approved the resignation of Parkersburg High School head boys basketball coach Bryan Crislip. Crislip, who began in that position in 2019, said he is stepping away to spend more time with family.

Jonathan Farley, director of technology, and Dr. Yvonne Santin, director of special education, gave a presentation on a policy update for video and audio recording in special education classrooms.

"It's on comment because it needs to be revised as a result of our legislature," Santin said. "In addition to having the cameras in classrooms, the state legislature mandated audio devices, audio recording devices, in restrooms of self-contained classrooms."

Santin said there are about 40 classrooms that have cameras in them and about 20 that have restrooms.

"So, that needed to be included in our current policy," Santin said.

The policy states the board will provide a video camera for each self-contained classroom, and an audio device to be used in the restroom of each self-contained classroom, and that the Wood County Schools Safety Director of all schools shall be the custodian of the video camera and audio recording device, all recordings generated by the devices, and access to those recordings.

The policy states parents or legal guardians of a student who is assigned to the self-contained classroom, Wood County Board of Education members, and any school employee(s) who are assigned to work in the self-contained classroom shall be notified of their placement before being installed.

Santin said there would be a sign posted outside of that restroom letting others know there are recording devices installed in it.

The board also heard a presentation about a revision to the Personal Leave Bank Policy by Bruce Boston, Jackson Middle School Teacher and Personal Leave Bank Committee Member. Boston said the Personal Leave Bank Committee, which meets once a month during the summer, found some things in the policy they feel could be changed.

"They're small changes that will benefit both the employee and bookkeeping," Boston said.

Boston said right now an employee is required to go 10 days without pay before they can apply for the Personal Leave Bank. He said he asked the West Virginia Education Association attorneys who made these regulations and they told him it was the Wood County Board of Education.

"So, we're recommending that we do away with the 10 days without pay," Boston said. "It just makes life easier for them."

Boston said the other change the committee would like changed is the way a person joins the bank. He said a person is required to give two days into the bank if they did not participate last year and one day if they had joined the previous year. He said he asked if that policy was being enforced and was told it would be a "nightmare" to try and keep track of those numbers.

"If our practice is different from the policy, it's much easier to change the policy than it is to change the practice," Boston said.

He said he would like to see that changed to just one unused day to join. This policy change will be on comment for the public to view.

The board also held multiple recognitions that included Jackson Middle School students who make up the FIRST Lego League Team The Tender Defenders, the WV Association of Pupil Transportation Award Winners of the "West Virginia's Best Tech Inspection Competition" and they recognized some new WCS Heroes.

Ed Murray, Brian Flanagan and Amber Matty were named WCS Heroes for their work on WVEIS 2.0 and Lisa Riddle and Angela Keith of the Child Nutrition Department for going above and beyond for the safety and well being of others.

Holly Best, director of child nutrition, said as they were ready to board their plane in Denver, Riddle and Keith jumped into action, as a passenger was having a heart attack at the terminal. She said they stayed with the older gentleman until the paramedics arrived to assist.

"I got to witness two wonderful school lunch lady heroes in action, in Denver, Colorado," Best said.

The next meeting of the Wood County Board of Education will be Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. at the corner of Plum and 13th streets in Parkersburg. The meeting is open to the public.

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The board approved a number of personnel and financial matters during its regular meeting Tuesday night as well as:

* Change of Positions from Lube Person/Bus Operator/Handyman to Mechanic/Bus Operator

* Created Position of 3.5 hour Custodian at the Bus Garage

* A contract for Art Cart for the 2023-2024 school year at the cost of $290,986.80

* Approved Joyful Sound and Precious Angels, preschool facilities, to a partnership to administer the School Breakfast Program and/or the National School Lunch Program to children enrolled in Wood County Schools who attend the preschool program at Joyful Sound during the 2023-2024 school year

* A contractual agreement for clinical experience for students from the Technical Center Practical Nursing Program to occur at Willows Care and Harmony Ridge Recovery Center

* An agreement with consulting services for accounting and grants management for provisional services provided by Pickering Associates for an amount not to exceed $75,000

* Contractual agreement with Best Life Therapy LLC, at a rate of $75 per hour

* Contractual agreement with LinguaCare Associates Inc., at $40 per 30 minute session

* Contractual Agreement between Jolene Troisi, Orientation and Mobility Instructor at a maximum amount of $10,000

* Purchase orders to be issued as needed to Hillyard Rose for FY2023-2024 custodial supplies and equipment repair to be purchased off of the GSA contract not to exceed $825,000

* Purchase order creations for the United Bank capital lease payments for those agreements approved and signed in prior years totaling $982,989

* Purchase order creation for the De Lage Landen Financial Services Inc. copier lease payments for those agreements approved and signed in prior years not to exceed $135,000

* Purchase orders to be issued as needed to United Bank Purchasing Card for commodities during FY2023-2024 not associated with vendors listed in system. Purchases not exceed $800,000

* Purchase orders to be issued as needed to Amazon for commodities during FY2023-2024 All Amazon purchases are made through the Omnia Cooperative. Purchases will not exceed $560,000

* Purchase orders to be issued as needed to Office Depot for commodities during FY2023-2024. All Office Depot purchases are made through the Omnia Cooperative. Purchases not to exceed $285,000

* To continue with WV Board of Risk and Insurance Management with an estimated annual premiums for property and liability insurance policies with an estimated annual premiums of $660,000

* Renewal of Intra-State Insurance Agency as the Worker's Compensation Agent of Record for Wood County Board of Education at an estimated annual premium of $258,857 using Travelers Insurance for the 2023-2024 fiscal year

* Purchase order creation to WVU Parkersburg as follows: Shared costs of operating/maintaining the Caperton Center for FY2024 based on the budget request documentation on file. Estimated costs not to exceed $408,160. Dual credit tuition for FY2024 not to exceed $50,000

* The continuation of Benefits Assistance Corporation for the dental benefits administration for FY2024. Administration Costs not to exceed $85,000. Employee Dental Reimbursements not to exceed $670,000 (net of employee contributions), Retiree Dental Reimbursements not to exceed $800,000 (net of retiree contributions)

* The purchase order creation for the WV Department of Agriculture for food, delivery, and processing fees for food items used in the Child Nutrition Program for student meals in FY2024. Estimated costs not to exceed $150,000

* Approval of stipends to be paid for supervision of WVU-P Elementary Education students during field placements for the fall 2023 semester (Aug. 14, 2023, through Dec. 15, 2023) at the following schools at the rate of pay of $40 per student at the following locations: Blennerhassett Elementary, Criss Elementary, Emerson Elementary, Franklin Elementary, Jackson Middle School, Lubeck Elementary School, Neale Elementary, Vienna Elementary, Blennerhassett Middle School, Edison Middle School, Fairplains Elementary School, Hamilton Middle School, Kanawha Elementary School, Madison Elementary School, and Parkersburg South High School

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