Virtual Option Offered by Rural Special

The Rural Special school board voted at a special meeting held July 30 to offer a virtual school option through the district, offering three seats, for now, as part of an effort to meet the needs of homeschool families in the area.

Supt. Dr. Delena Thompson said that after researching options, she had one particular option that she recommended to the board. “It is live people, instructors, certified teachers. It’s not software. It is a support system for if a student’s struggling.”

Thompson said the cost of offering the program would be covered by state funding. She also said that the district would be able to offer the virtual school option under their current salary schedule.
Board president Renee Carr said the board had received several inquiries from homeschool parents.

“That’s why we thought, ‘Let’s act on it, so we can let them know what’s going to happen.’ I think the more we can connect with the homeschool parents, and involve them as much as we can, it’s a win/win from both sides.”

The board also addressed the discipline section of the student handbook, voting to approve a set of discipline policies for the district.

Principal Tanya Stewart told the board that the updated student handbook policies simplify the dress code, specifying what areas are expected to be covered instead of using sometimes confusing guidelines such as the “dollar bill rule” or the “fingertip rule” specifying the length of shorts or skirts; and allowing hats as long as they do not create a disturbance.
Stewart briefed the board about the discipline policies, and explained that there are different punishments for different levels of infractions.

“We do corporal punishment. I do want to point that out,” Stewart told the board. “A lot of schools in the state of Arkansas are taking that out. We still do it. I kind of believe in that, so I’m fine with doing that. And I usually, of course, correspond with a parent beforehand before I do that.”
The board voted to approve the discipline policies in the student handbook.

Also at the meeting, the board accepted one bid, from Flowers Bakery, on bread for the cafeteria. The company bidding had not provided prices before the board’s last scheduled meeting. Bids were provided for white bread, wheat bread, hamburger buns and hot dog buns. All of the prices were $2.99, except for the wheat bread, which was $3.44. Board member Dustin Stewart asked if the price included delivery, and if this was the only bid. Thompson confirmed both of these things.

”Where we run into a few issues is delivery to this campus,” she told the board.

The board also approved policies that cover the number of school board members, terms of service and elections; cover the rules governing teachers, bus drivers and other staff members; leave for staff members; and disciplinary action for staff if the policies are violated.

The special meeting of the board came at the end of a work day where the board reviewed policies for the district.

Thompson said the work day had been productive, with the board able to get an understanding of what the policies were about.

“Even though it doesn’t totally complete our policy, it gets us well into where we need to be before the beginning of the school year, and we can finalize what’s left in August,” she said.