November 9, 2021 at 6:00 PM - Board of Education Regular Meeting

Rationale:  In attendance:  Chair Butch Campbell, Vice Chair David Settles, Wes Ballard, Roseann Barton, Becky Goff, Amanda Moore, and Jimmy Richardson.

Staff:  Dr. Trey Duke, Ralph Ringstaff, Sheri Arnette, Joe Marlin, Angela Fairchild, Lisa Trail, Kim Williams, Greg Lyles, Sara Walker, April Zavisa, Emily Spencer, Emily Clark, Caitlin Bullard, and Quinena Bell

Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Taylor and City Liaison Bill Shacklett

 

Rationale:  The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Nia Steele, a 6th grade student at Cason Lane Academy, and Prince Roshell II, a 6th grade student at Hobgood Elementary.

Rationale:  During the moment of silence, Chair Campbell asked that everyone remember the family of Ms. Jodie Stone, an EA at Hobgood Elementary, that unexpectedly passed away this week.

Rationale:  American Education Week is next week! November 15-November 19

Mitchell Neilson Primary would like to thank Mars Unify for their generous donations that will allow us to help 40 families at Christmas.

Congratulations to Lisa Trail for recently being named runner-up in the Read to Succeed Spelling Bee. 

Rationale:  The Spotlight on Education focused on the City Schools Foundation and the good work and donations made to the staff of our district over the years. 

Mrs. Trail shared some background information about the City Schools Foundation and told who the current board members are. She also informed the board that over the years, they have raised one million dollars for grants for Murfreesboro City Schools' teachers.

Emily Clark, a teacher at Erma Siegel and Mrs. Emily Spencer, principal at Erma Siegel attended the meeting. Ms. Clark explained the grant that she was awarded during this school year for an outdoor campus that will greatly benefit the students of Erma Siegel.  Mrs. Emily Spencer thanked the City Schools Foundation board for everything that they have done to help the students of MCS and for the partnership that they have had with MCS over the years.

Roseann Barton thanked Mrs. Trail for all of her hard work and dedication to the City Schools Foundation over the years.

Rationale:  Dr. Duke explained that the current mask mandate expires tomorrow, November 10. He said that the opt-out forms have gone from 700 to 816 recently. That is 91% of our students that have not opted out of wearing masks.  He told the board that there had been a decrease in COVID cases until the first two days of this week and there was an uptick in cases. 

Since parents can now vaccinate their children, and to give them time to do that, Dr. Duke was recommending that the mask mandate be extended until Friday, December 16, or until the governor signs the bill that would prohibit school systems from requiring masks, and that law would, of course, supersede the mask requirement and masks would become optional immediately.  He said that if Governor Lee does not sign or veto the bill, it will go into effect by the end of the week.

Becky Goff said that she would go with the recommendation from Dr. Duke, but she would like to see masks dropped.

Rationale:  Mrs. Trail reviewed our procedure for inclement weather as she has in the past.

Rationale:  Dr. Duke welcomed the group from Leadership Rutherford to the board meeting.

Dr. Duke updated the board on the impending legislation on face masks, quarantines, and vaccinations, and Ms. Taylor updated the board on federal laws coming from state and local levels on what they now at this time.

After the update, some board members had questions regarding the pandemic and another upsurge and the fact that principals have to get approval from the board to require their individual school to return to masks.  Chair Campbell asked if that happened, would the board be allowed to meet by zoom to make that decision. Ms. Taylor was going to check into that and get back to Chair Campbell.

Mr. Settles asked if the board would have the authority to authorize the principal to make that call for their school without having a special called meeting.  Again, Ms. Taylor said that she would investigate that and get back with the board.

Dr. Duke wanted parents to know that he is watching this very closely and is prepared to respond very quickly and get information out and also make sure that we are in compliance with the law.

To end the Director's Update, Dr. Duke said that Veteran's Day is Thursday and that day is an in-service day for teachers and a day out for students.
 

Rationale:  Chair Campbell told the board of the upcoming TSBA Leadership Conference and Convention at Gaylord Opryland on November 18-21.

He informed the board that there was a Meet and Greet at Rutherford County Schools on Friday, November 12. 

Mr. Settles asked to make a statement to close the meeting.  Mr. Settles said that this was concerning a statement that was made at the last meeting by a citizen that addressed the board. He said that it was something that he found to be rude, disrespectful, and beneath the proceedings of this body.  Mr. Settles said that these board meetings, in his opinion, should not be used for partisan divisions or political statements.  He said that he and the others that he serves on this board with do not come in representing a particular party but only as members of the city of Murfreesboro, citizens whose main concern is the continuing of excellent educational opportunities for our most vulnerable citizens. He asked that in the future that such rhetoric be used to address this board, and he condemns such speech in its strongest terms, and he would not dignify the statement that was made at the end of his speech. 
 

Rationale:  The meeting adjourned at 6:51 p.m.