Counseling protocols questioned by parent
Apr. 14—OTTUMWA — A parent's concern caught the attention of the Ottumwa School Board this week.
Mark Johnson, the parent of a fifth-grade student in the district, spoke to the board during their Monday meeting. His concern centered around the policy on the district's counseling program.
He said that his student was tagged for counseling during a routine screening done by teachers. For months, his son has been pulled weekly from his math lesson, an area identified as one he needs help in, for counseling sessions that his parents were not notified of.
When Johnson and his wife discovered this, through comments they picked up on from their child, he said that his interpretation of the policy is that school counselors don't have to inform parents when their students are tagged for counseling.
He is asking the board to change that policy. "My expectation as a parent is that I be kept in the loop," he said. He is requesting that the district draft a policy that parents are notified when a student is tagged for counseling, explain the situation to the parents or guardians and receive consent from them before counseling begins.
Later in the meeting, board member Nancy Manson asked for the board to be updated on elementary counseling protocols and numbers at a future meeting.
Morgan Brown agreed. "I thought the request was very reasonable. As a parent, it's something I would expect as well," he said. "I don't know why we wouldn't want to get parents involved in that so that we get help at home also when it's possible."
In other business, the board:
—Unanimously approved the 2021-22 certified budget.
—Approved a revision of the 2021-22 school calendar marking April 15 as Good Friday rather than April 1.
—Voted to publish notice to bidders and notice of a public hearing for the Market on Main renovation. The notice to bidders will be published later this week, CFO John Berg said, and the public hearing and awarding of bids will be May 10.
—Awarded a three-year transportation contract extension to Durham Bus Services for $5.236 million. The contract includes required and discretionary transportation needs.
—Voted to reopen early retirement for a week with a deadline of noon Monday, April 19. The incentive package matches what was offered earlier in the year, including $28,500, or five years, in insurance and potential bonuses based on years served."It's been a difficult year for a lot of families and a lot of staff. It seems like the appropriate time to kind of step back and take stock," Superintendent Mike McGrory said. "Some families have had a change in life situations, and I think the uniqueness of this year probably warrants it."
—Approved a device setup service for K-5 devices for about $17,000. Approval on the replacement devices has already been made, but Berg said delays in shipping will not allow the district's tech department enough time to set them up before distribution. "We're not going to have that ability based on the ship date," he said, so they're going to have it set up before they're delivered. "It will help speed up the rollout to replace existing devices," Berg said
—Approved a 2.69 % increase for administrative assistant employees and a 2.71% increase for administrators. McGrory said there were separate salary increases for eight employees in the latter category as a result of a new position, additional or change in duties or for market equity adjustments. After a closed session toward the end of the meeting, the board also voted for a 2.71% increase for McGrory as well.
—Received an update on enrollment numbers for Ottumwa Online for 2021-22. McGrory said they were "surprisingly low." Curriculum directors Marci Dunlap and Lonna Anderson will present staffing proposals at an upcoming meeting to match enrollment. "The numbers couldn't be any different than they were last fall," Dunlap said, with 50 at the elementary level and 17 and 15 at the secondary level. "When numbers are that low, we have to get creative [with staffing]." When asked if late enrollment would be accepted, Dunlap said they would look at requests on a case-by-case basis since staffing will be based on enrollment.
— Features Editor Tracy Goldizen can be reached via email at tgoldizen@ottumwacourier.com or followed on Twitter @CourierTracy.
