Marla Jones, Managing Editor
DEKALB COUNTY, Ala.-- The DeKalb County Board of Education held their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, September 30.
The Board approved the reinstatement of the Families First CoronaVirus Response Act or FFCRA leave, retroactive from April 1 to September 30, 2021.
The act, which ended on March 31, 2021, provided employees with paid sick leave or medical leave due to COVID sickness or exposure.
DeKalb County Superintendent Wayne Lyles advised that employees who had used their sick leave, after March 31 until September 30, would be reimbursed.
“This is for anyone that did not receive 10 days leave and had to take time off work for exposure of testing positive for Covid,” stated Lyles. “This will allow them to get their sick days back and be compensated for any lost wages due to not having sick days left to use.”
According to the act, employees will only receive ten days. Emails with more information and required forms will be sent out in the coming days.
In other business, the Board approved the early graduate request for Sierra Ramsey of Ider High School.
The board also accepted a bid for a Crossville Elementary School awning to shelter students for loading and unloading students of buses to Aluminum Awning Company LLC. in the amount of $28,000.
The following resignations were approved:
- Vickie Gary - Store Worker (6-hour) - Geraldine High School (Effective 10/5/21)
- Autumn McMunn - Secondary Mathematics Teacher - Valley Head High School (Effective 10/9/21)
The following transfers were approved:
- Cindy Smith - High School Counselor to Assistant Principal at Fyffe High School
- April Hill - Instructional Coach to High School Counselor at Fyffe High School
- Judy Rains - CNP Worker at Geraldine High School to Store Worker (6-hour) at Geraldine High
- Jodi Buttram - Assistant Principal ( 9.5 -months) to Assistant Principal (10-month) at Sylvania High School
- Nicole Carroll - Business Education Teacher at Valley Head High School to Assistant Principal (9.5-month) at Sylvania High School
- Whitney Whiteside - Itinerant Special Education Teacher at Plainview High School to Assistant Principal (10-month) at Plainview High School
- The following placements were approved (All placements are made pending a background review meeting suitability criteria and negative, pre-employment drug screen and appropriate certification)
Certified
- Cory Dobbins - Elementary Teacher - Henagar Jr. High School
- Kristen Jones - Elementary Teacher (Leave 9/20/21-5/27/22) - Geraldine High School (Effective 9/20/21)
Support
- Mandy Smith - Assistant Custodian (9-month/7-hour) - Geraldine High School
The following contracts were approved:
After School Literacy Teacher
- Karen Barnett - Fyffe High School
- Christi Black - Valley Head High School
- Amy Burrows - Valley Head High School
- Wanda Burt - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Shannon Chappell - Valley Head High School
- Avery Collins - Fyffe High School
- Heather Conkle - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Barbie Davis - Ider High Deborah Durham - Ider High
- Renee Fraley - Valley Head High School
- Nancy Frost - Valley Head High School
- Chassidy Griggs - Plainview High School
- Carla Hamilton - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Amy Haymon - Valley Head
- Felicia Higdon - Ider High School
- Ginger Hill - Geraldine High School
- Teresa Jamison - Geraldine High School
- Taylor Littles - Geraldine High School
- Brittany Martin - Fyffe High School
- Dana Patterson - Geraldine High School
- Kristi Underwood - Fyffe High School
- Lynne Wagner - Valley Head High School
- Lori Morgan - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Sonya Pope - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Melissa Warren - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Tammy Wynn - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Shay Thrasher - Fyffe High School
After-School Literacy Camp Bus Driver
- Rex Harrison - Valley Head High School
- Larry Tilley - Ider High School
- Erin Rowell - Geraldine High School
- Sharon Sibert - Geraldine High School
In-School Literacy Teacher/Tutor
- Sharron Miller - Ruhama Jr. High School
- Annabella Brown - Fyffe High School
- Riley Thrasher - Fyffe High School
- Jodie Maze - Crossville Elementary School
- Teresa Jamison - Geraldine High School
- Tracey Monroe - Fyffe High School
Part-Time EL Teacher
- Rhonda Jolley - Crossville Elementary School
- Phillip Mosley - Crossville High School
DVA
- Teresa Smith - Spanish Teacher
- Patrick Blevins - Science Teacher
Homebound
- Daphne Chandler
Janitorial Services
- Sundown Services - Annex
Lawn Maintenance
- RJ’s Lawn Care - Annex
Custodial Support
- Britt Mann - Ider High School
TEAMS
- Emily Moore - Science - Crossville High School
- Lucy Bright - Math - Crossville High School
Volunteer Coaches
Geraldine High School
- William Coefield - Softball
Ider High School
- Jeff Whitaker - Baseball
- Robert Elliott - Softball
- Roger Pruett - Girls Basketball
Superintendent Wayne Lyles requested permission to place, pending Board approval. Lyles presented the board with a request for a Chief of Staff Supplement in the amount of $4,000, which was approved.
Lyles requested that the Board make a Declaration of Emergency for the Ider High School Gym roof due to health and safety concerns, which was approved.
Lyles gave an update on Moon Lake Elementary School items that need to be completed in order to transfer the title.
In the recent reviews, the School Bus Inspection Exit Report and the Review of Disproportionality in IDEA had no findings.
The DeKalb County School Board received three prestigious awards, the SREB - District Leadership Award, 2021 AASB School Board Member Academy Achievement, and the AASB 2021 Team Training Achievement Award.
In other business, the Board:
- Amended the School Calendar - Virtual Learning October 14 & 15, 2021
The date of the next meeting of the DeKalb County Board of Education will be October 19, 2021. The regular meeting will be heald at 5:00 P.M and the work session at 4:30 P.M. in the Meeting Room at the Facilities Building.
