Mitchell Community Schools Holding Emergency Meeting

(MITCHELL) – The Mitchell Community School Board of Trustees is holding an emergency meeting tonight at 5 p.m. at the Mitchell Community Schools Administration Building.

On the agenda:

The board will discuss the following resolution:

RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES OF THE MITCHELL SCHOOL CORPORATION 

WHEREAS, the Mitchell Community School Corporation (the “School Corporation”) acknowledges that the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (“COVID-19”) has been deemed a pandemic by national and global health organizations; and 

WHEREAS, confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Indiana; and 

WHEREAS, the Board of School Trustees will cooperate with the Lawrence County Health Department, the Indiana State Department of Health, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control in addressing the spread of COVID-19 to and through our community; and 

WHEREAS, employees of the School Corporation may have their regular work hours reduced or otherwise disrupted because of the School Corporation’s response to the pandemic and the potential exposure and/or contraction of COVID-19; and 

WHEREAS, the Board wishes to minimize the impact of the School Corporation’s response to the pandemic on its students’ learning opportunities; and 

WHEREAS, the Board wishes to minimize the impact of the School Corporation’s response to the pandemic on its employees’ earnings and benefits; and 

WHEREAS, the Board wishes to provide additional emergency assistance to the Mitchell community as needed during this emergency period. 

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Board of School Trustees hereby: 

1. Delegates to the Superintendent the authority to act on behalf of the Board with respect to the following actions: 

A. To make (or negotiate, as the case may be) such changes to pay, benefit and leave policies as the Superintendent deems necessary or prudent to assist employees who suffer financial hardship as a result of circumstances directly related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

B. To employ, discharge, contract, reassign or alter schedules of both certified and non-certified employees that the Superintendent deems necessary for school purposes.

C. To continue to pay the salaries, wages, and compensation of persons and services consistent with existing contractual obligations. Classified staff may be reassigned to other duties to ensure continued wages when regular assignments are interrupted by online learning or school closures. In extraordinary circumstances, the Superintendent has the authority to provide up to – additional days of paid time off to address income losses due to extended school closures.

D. To determine the number of persons or the number of services needed to continue school purposes during the emergency period. 

E. To determine and assign the duties of staff consistent with continuing the School Corporation’s purposes during the emergency period including, but not limited to, reassignment of location, schedule, duties and job descriptions.

F. To approve the use of school facilities for use by other governmental or community health needs to respond to the COVID-19 declared emergency.

G. To approve the use of school vehicles or buses for the transportation of students or community members to assist with community emergency needs.”

H. To the extent feasible, the Superintendent will ensure that instructional services to students are maintained during the emergency period through alternative methods such as eLearning, reduced instructional days or other means deemed appropriate.

I. To continue the breakfast/lunch program services for students, including permitting the use of kitchen facilities and equipment to assist with meeting community needs during this emergency period.

J. To purchase materials and supplies for the lunch program and fix appropriate prices per meal or per food item to cover the operational costs of the breakfast/lunch program during the emergency period.

K. To operate the lunch program as an extracurricular activity.

1. To participate in a surplus commodity or lunch aid program,

M. To purchase, rent or furnish curricular materials without cost to students and to participate in a curricular materials aid program in accordance with applicable law during the emergency period,

1). To accept students transferred from other school corporations and to transfer students to other school corporations in accordance with applicable law during the emergency period.

O. To enforce, amend or suspend rules, regulations, and procedures for the government and management of the School Corporation’s property, facilities, activities, agents, employees and pupils and the operation of the governing body; and that may be designated by an appropriate title such as “policy handbook”, “bylaws”, or “rules and regulations.”

P. To determine the closure of schools to ensure the safety, health, and welfare of students and staff as deemed necessary. 

4. The Board also authorizes the School Corporation’s Administration to take all other actions necessary or desirable to carry out the intent of this resolution. 

5. The Superintendent will continue to advise the School Board of decisions made during this emergency period and will do so no later than the next regularly scheduled board meeting. At such a meeting, the School Board can ratify and approve any actions taken by the Superintendent. 

This Resolution is hereby passed and adopted this day of March, 16 2020.