A student handbook rule approved last month by the Hennessey school board did not allow fifth-eighth graders to have their cell phones in the classrooms.

“A board member asked why a middle school student would need a cell phone at last month’s meeting,” said Tina Gilliland at the board’s meeting last Monday.

“It’s when a cell phone is used as a medical device for a type 1 diabetic.”

Gilliland said a Dexcom G6 transmitter can give a student continuous glucose numbers to their phone, or to a smart watch.

A student must be within 20 feet of their phone, or watch, to get a reading and a parent can also monitor the readings, the mom said.

When a parent sees those numbers “are out of range” they worry, and need to get a reply right away from their child that all is OK, or if they need help, she told the board.

“There are medical exemptions (to those handbook rules),” said Superintendent Jason Sternberger.

Gilliland said she was aware of that, but believed parents need to be made aware of them.

“Proof of the student’s condition is necessary to get an exemption,” Sternberger said, “and once it’s determined it will stay in their file and follow them to the next grade.” Updates are also required, and the superintendent referred to a state-mandated 504 Plan “developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives accommodations that will ensure their academic success and access to the learning environment.”

Patrick Griffin, board member, said: “If a student is caught Snapchatting on their phone instead of checking their blood then …”

HHS Principal Josh Faulkner said he’d deal with that.

School handbook changes

Faulkner said a new handbook requirement for freshmen-seniors is they are “not supposed to have access to their phone during classes, but they may have them from passing to classes.”

“This should be uniform throughout,” said Griffin. “Every teacher should follow that…It should make teachers’ jobs easier if everyone does it.”

Faulkner said there will be a set place for the phones in each classroom and students are to put their phone there when they enter that room.

Griffin said that instead of using the wording of “should” in his proposed wording that is should say “must” place their phone.

Faulkner said parents have complained about students being sent home as a discipline and said students will be given swats instead of sent home, but only if a parent agrees to them.

Griffin also questioned wording on fall semester tests.

Instead of “should take fall semester tests, and there are no exceptions” Griffin said it needs to read “must” take fall semester tests.

He also questioned if those tests are “comprehensive.”

“They are supposed to be comprehensive in the core subjects,” Faulkner said, “and some could be project-based, such as in art, or performance-based in music.”

The board approved the handbook with changes suggested by Griffin, along with the addition of cell phones/ watches being “allowed as medical devices” in the classrooms when they are approved.

Parking around field The superintendent’s re

The superintendent’s report on upgrading facilities dealt with three added concrete parking areas on the west, north and south sides of the football field.

Two of the parking areas are currently rock surface: off Mitchell Road along the west and north side of fencing around the field, and south of the fieldhouse/weight-lifting facility in the current visitor parking.

The third area is in grass and would be added visitor parking to run the width of the visitor stands and south to the length of the current visitor parking.

Board member Dr. James M. Matousek asked about use of the parking where the tennis courts were once located.

That property is located north of the main entrance of the football field and was once only to be used for “recreational purposes.” However, the school got permission about two years ago to use that land for parking, Matousek said.

Sternberger said that area wasn’t on a list in Griffin’s request that was to make parking around the football field convenient for visitors, coaches and players.

Matousek said he thought the board should also consider future needs and possibly space for another school building at some time before they decide on more asphalt.

Sternberger said if they decided to do that project, it couldn’t be done until after football season.

He also said they would also have to hire an engineer for that project. He estimated asphalt costs at almost $500,000.

No action was taken on the project.

Personnel

Hired for summer staff were Matthew Streck and Lynzee Franklin, custodian support, and Raeanna Fuksa, tech support. Hired as a 2022- 23 school year custodian was Brenda Gonzalez. Wages for those jobs were not listed on the agenda.

Consent agenda

All 12 items on the consent agenda got quick board approval and included:

• Resolution for lease renewal with Farmers & Merchants Bank, Crescent, for $2.515 million dated June 27, 2018. The extended lease will come due Oct. 15, 2027, to “Finance the construction, equipping and furnishing of new educational facilities to serve the students of the Lessee; and pay cost of issuance.”

• Yearly contract with state Department of Career and Technology Education for salaries with ag and family/ consumer science teachers.

• Yearly service agreement with Mercy Hospital for physical therapy services.

• Surplus items: 283 Dell Chromebooks purchased in 2019, and 105 Lenovo N23Yoga touch screen computers purchased in 2017.

Other consent items are listed on the school’s website.

Present at meeting

All board members were present at the July 11 meeting: President Luke Lough, Vice President Cristopher Choate, Clerk David Tillman, Griffin, and Matousek.

In addition to Sternberger, also present at the board table was Office Manager Timberly Jech who is also the minutes clerk.

Staff in the audience were Principals Ricardo Tarango (middle), Stacy Mack (early childhood center), and Faulkner (high school). Other staff there were Todd Cameron, technology director, and Rae Fuksa, middle school teacher and tech assistant.

Gilliland was also in the audience.

A story about the state School and Security review was in the Wednesday, July 13 issue.