Below is a summary of the Caldwell School District Board of Trustees March 11, 2024, Regular Board Meeting intended to provide information about board decisions in a timely manner. It is not the official record. The recorded live stream of the meeting is available here.

SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

Dr. French recognized Dr. Melyssa Ferro for being awarded the 2023-2024 Idaho Middle-Level Educator of the Year. In addition, Dr. French applauded Stephanie Archuleta for being awarded the Idaho Lottery School Hero. Sara Garcia nominated her. 

History and Government Teacher, Mr. Brennan Wurtz, recognized the students who placed in the National History Day Competition.  

1st place -- Desi Conger and Yuli Perez for The Poison Squad

2nd place -- Nayomi Soto for The Mexican Revolution

3rd place -- Noelia Esquivel-Rodriguez and Kelsey Smith for Barbie

Honorable Mentions:

Camille Garza for The Space Race

Amryn Barbosa and Kyera Tipper for DNA Profiling

Leo Ocampo and Sophia Thompson for Anesthesia

Dr. French also provided Trustees with information on COVID-19 from the CDC, CHS Tennis Courts, Caldwell Drivers Education, and ICRS Grant.

Caldwell High School Report - Nick Mendez, Student Representative from Caldwell High School, provided Trustees with a summary of the school’s events over the past month and previewed the events to come.

Canyon Springs High School Report - Era Salazar, Student Representative from Canyon Springs High School, provided Trustees with an update on parent-teacher conferences, increase in attendance, and credits earned.

CONSENT AGENDA

Trustees voted to approve the following items:

• Approval of Minutes
• Financials
• Surplus
• Field Trips
• Procare Addendum A
• WANRack Contract for WAN (Wide Area Network) services
• VLCM Firewall Maintenance Contract Renewal

ITEMS PULLED FROM CONSENT AGENDA - ACTION ITEM

The Board approved the following item that was pulled from the consent agenda:

• Personnel Report

INFORMATION ITEMS

• Plant Facility Report
• CSD Calendar and Important Dates

PATRON INPUT

• No one signed up for patron input.

REGULAR AGENDA

• Sacajawea Elementary Boundary - Dr. French provided Trustees with information on the parent meeting at Farmway Village. Parents were receptive to the proposal to shift the boundaries for children who live in Farmway Village. Board Members voted to incorporate Farmway Village into Sacajawea and  Syringa Middle School Boundaries.
• Child Nutrition Update - Nathaly Gibson, Director of Child Nutrition, shared Food Service updates, which included new trays, menu items, iced coffee, meal participation, the warehouse freezer, and grants.
• Syringa Middle School - Board Members heard from Heather Elhschide, Principal at Syringa Middle School, Erica Hardy, Counselor, and Kristi Rudan, Instructional Coach, on the school's Student Support, Tier 2 Intervention, and Enrichment Activities.
• Wilson Elementary - Michelle Humberger and Tabby Bruegeman, Dean of Students and Principal at Wilson Elementary School, provided Trustees with information on the school's Pawsitive Playground and how it has reduced student behavior issues.
• Calendar Update - Trustees heard from Melissa Langan, Chief Academic Officer, on the proposed calendar options for the 2025-2026 school year. Trustees shared concerns about having more than two weeks off for Winter Break. The Calendar Committee will reconvene for further discussion on the 2025-2026 school year.
• English Language Arts (ELA) Curriculum Adoption - Melissa Langan, Chief Academic Officer, provided Trustees with information about the K-8 ELA Curriculum Adoption. Committee Members provided their input on why they chose the ELA Curriculum for their grade levels. Board Members voted to approve Into Reading for grades K-5 and My Perspectives ELA Curriculum for grades 6-8.
• Future Agenda Items - Trustees did not discuss any future agenda items.

POLICY DEVELOPMENT/ADOPTION

Proposed Policies:

• Policy 3265 Student Owned Electronic Communication
• Policy 5360 Employee Dress and Appearance
• Policy 5610 Prevention of Disease Transmission
• Policy 5610P Prevention of Disease Transmission Procedure (replaces Policy 422)
• Policy 5710 Educational Support Professionals
• Policy 8105P Extracurricular Transportation Discipline Procedure
• Policy 8140 Student Conduct on Buses
• Policy 8700 Computer Software

Trustees voted to Request to Rescind for the following policies:

• Policy 504 Student Publications (Irrelevant - should be replaced with Policy 2100 Curriculum Development and Assessment, which addresses classroom resources/publications)
• Policy 510 Student Handbooks (Irrelevant - should be replaced with Policy 3200 Student Rights and Responsibilities, which addresses student handbooks)
• Policy 514 Evacuation Drills (should be replaced with Policy 8320 Fire Drills and Evacuation Plans)
• Policy 515 Minimum Class Load (Irrelevant - should be replaced with Policy 2700P High School Graduation Requirements Procedures)
• Policy 516 Freedom of Speech and Expression (Irrelevant - should be replaced with Policy 2340 Controversial Issues and Academic Freedom)
• Policy 573 Athletic Activities Insurance (Replace with duplicate Policy 3573 Athletic Activities Insurance)
• Policy 636 Public School Choice and 636P Public School Choice Administrative Regulations (Outdated - should be replaced with Policy 3010 Open Enrollment by Students Who Reside Within and Outside the District)
• Policy 648 Health Wellness (Irrelevant - all credit requirements, including Health/Wellness, are listed in Policy 2700P Graduation Requirements.)
• Policy 3050E Attendance Exhibit (Outdated)
• Policy 3050P Attendance Procedure (Outdated - will be replaced by revised Policy 3050 Attendance)
• Policy 10054 Recruitment of High School Students (Irrelevant - military recruitment is covered under Policy 3570 Student Records.)

Trustees voted to Approve the Errata Revisions for the following policies:

• Policy 8110 Safety Busing
• Policy 9060 Building Access and Control

First Reading:

Trustees voted to approve the following policies:

• Policy 3000 Entrance, Placement and Transfer
• Policy 3365 Student Sex Offenders (replaces Policy 507 Juvenile Sex Offenders)
• Policy 3380 Extracurricular and Co-curricular Participation (replaces Policy 571 Extracurricular and Interscholastic Activities and Policy 579 Code of Conduct for Athletics and Activities)
• Policy 3580 Relations with Non-Custodial Parents (replaces Policy 528 Divorced or Estranged Parents: Rights and Responsibilities)
• Policy 3610 Records of Missing Children
• Policy 5406 Full-Time Classified Sick Leave Bank
• Policy 5825 Evaluation of School Bus Drivers
• Policy 8160 Contracting for Transportation Services
• Policy 8180 Driver Training and Responsibility
• Policy 9550 Cybersecurity & Data Breach Response Policy

Second and Final Reading:

Trustees voted to approve the following policies:

• Policy 2530 Learning Materials Review and Reconsideration (Replaces 2500P2 Materials Removal Procedures for Library/Media Centers)
• Policy 2530F1 Learning Materials Reconsideration Request Form (Replaces 2500F1)
• Policy 2530F2 Learning Materials Reconsideration Recommendation by Library/Media Center Advisory Committee (Replaces 2500F2)
• Policy 3565 Attendance for Driving Privileges (Replaces 524 Student Driving Privileges)

INFORMATION ONLY

Upcoming Events:

• March 15, 2024 - End of Third Quarter, No School for Students
• March 18, 2024 - First Day of Fourth Quarter
• March 18-21, 2024 - Parent/Teacher Conference Week
• March 22, 2024 - No School
• March 25-29, 2024 - Spring Break

ADJOURNMENT

To meet again, unless otherwise announced, on Monday, April 8, 2024, at the Caldwell District Office, Vernon DeMark Board Room, 1502 Fillmore St. Caldwell Idaho, 83605.