SCHOOL BOARD PROCEEDINGS
The Avoyelles Parish School Board met in special session Monday, July 20, 2020, at 6:40 p.m. at the Marksville High School Auditorium, Marksville, Louisiana, with the following members present:
Robin Moreau, President; Rickey Adams, Vice-President; Latisha Small, Lynn Deloach, Stanley Celestine, Jr., Chris LaCour, Chris Robinson, and Aimee Dupuy.
Absent: Van Kojis.
1. Resolution by Aimee Dupuy, seconded by Stanley Celestine, Jr.:
Whereas, due to the resignation of Van Kojis, Member of the Avoyelles Parish School Board, District 8, has created a vacancy on the Board; and
Whereas, his resignation has caused a vacancy in office and an election must be ordered and called to fill the unexpired term of office exceeding one year; and
Now Therefore, Be It Resolved that the Avoyelles Parish School Board hereby calls a special election to fill the position of Avoyelles Parish School Board Member, District 8, as follows:
The qualifying dates are January 20, 21, and 22, 2021
The Primary Election date is March 20, 2021
The General Election date is April 24, 2021
Be It Further Resolved that certified copies of this resolution shall be sent to the Secretary of State of Louisiana and the Clerk of Court of Avoyelles Parish.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
2. President Robin Moreau addressed the Board regarding the repair of a right-of-way located in the Brouillette area.
On motion by Chris LaCour, seconded by Rickey Adams, the Board agreed to table this item until the next regular Board meeting scheduled for August 4, 2020, in order to have more time to review the rules and regulations being set forth for said road. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
3. Superintendent Blaine Dauzat addressed the Board regarding the 2020-2021 School Calendar. Superintendent Dauzat outlined reasons to delay the start date of school by three (3) weeks to August 26, 2020: (1) To give more time during the Covid-19 pandemic for cases to decrease rather than start during the height of increased cases; (2) To give more time for the previously ordered virtual learning devices and personal protective equipment (PPE) to come in; and (3) To have more staff development days before school begins.
President Moreau discussed the possibility of reverting to a five-day school week. A discussed ensued among board members, the superintendent, and principals.
On motion by Aimee Dupuy, seconded by Latisha Small, the Board adopted the change in the start date of all public schools to August 26, 2020, for the 2020-2021 school year. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Superintendent Dauzat also addressed questions regarding the school calendar that arose in discussion. Bus routes will remain the same time-wise but will be tweaked. There will be two people manning Help Desk phone lines from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. to assist parents with questions about virtual lesson plans. The option of going back to a 5-days-a-week schedule was also addressed. Several principals in attendance were against the idea, stating that some parents and teachers are hesitant to attend school in person due to the possibility of contracting the Covid-19 virus, opting instead for virtual online classes. It was also noted that staying with a 4-days-a-week schedule would mean one less day of possible exposure and would also improve teacher retention. There would be less turnover of staff since this schedule is a great incentive. The current schedule is working--teachers, students, and parents are happy with the 4-days-a-week schedule.
On motion by Aimee Dupuy, seconded by Rickey Adams, the Board accepted the 2020-2021 school calendar as proposed by Superintendent Dauzat. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
There being no further business, on motion by Rickey Adams, seconded by Chris LaCour, the meeting was adjourned.
AVOYELLES PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Robin Moreau, President
Blaine Dauzat, Secretary-Treasurer