PROCEEDINGS OF THE ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
RESERVE, LA - Meeting of February 2, 2012
ITEM 1: The Chair called the meeting to order and read the following call:
HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD
Parish of St. John the Baptist
Dear Board Member:
Upon call of the President, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board will meet in regular session at Godchaux Grammar Cafeteria, Reserve, Louisiana, on Thursday, February 2, 2012, at 6:00 p.m.
An agenda for the meeting is attached.
Sincerely, s/Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D.
Superintendent/Secretary
The Chair called for a moment of silent meditation followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.
ITEM 2. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS:
PRESENT: Messrs. Burl, Keller, DeFrancesch, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche, Sanders.
ABSENT: Jack, Jones.
There were 9 members present, 2 absent.
ITEM 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Meeting of January 12, 2012.
A motion was made by Dr. Keller, seconded by Mr. Triche, to accept the minutes of the January 12, 2012 meeting as printed and published. There were no objections.
The motion carried.
9 Yeas – Burl, Keller, DeFrancesch, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche, Sanders.
2 Absent – Jack, Jones.
ITEM 4. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT. Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D., Superintendent.
ITEM 5. EDUCATIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS BY THE BOARD OR STAFF.
Mr. Sanders stated that Addendum Item 9f would be addressed at this time.
ADDENDUM ITEM 9f. Resolution to the family of Lanard Robinet. Dr. Millet read the following resolution into the record and Mr. Sanders presented the family with a copy of the resolution on a plaque. Ms. Toni Robinet, on behalf of the family, thanked the board for the recognition of her father.
RESOLUTION
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
RESERVE, LA
WHEREAS, Lanard Joseph Robinet served the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board for over 25 years as a teacher and principal, and
WHEREAS, Mr. Robinet served the schools, faculties and staff of this parish, the worthiness of his service will always be remembered; and
WHEREAS, the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board recognizes his dedication and commitment, this is a resolution of sympathy forwarded to the members of his family; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that this school district desires to send a copy of this Resolution to his surviving relatives in total recognition of the value and the love this system has for him and wishes his family well in their bereavement and that this Resolution be made part of the official record on this date, February 2, 2012, subscribed therein.
/s/ Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D., Superintendent
/s/ Patrick H. Sanders, Board President
ITEM 6. PERSONNEL MATTERS: Dr. Leigh Ann Beard, Director of Human Resources.
a. Personnel Changes (Requires action by the Board). Dr. Beard presented the following Personnel Changes for approval:
I. PROFESSIONAL
A. New Hires
1. Dolores Sorapuru, Teacher - West St. John High
B. Retirement
1. Dorothy Fontenette, Teacher - East St. John Elementary, May 25, 2012
C. Extended Sick Leave
1. Shanna Beber, Teacher - LaPlace Elementary, October 27 - 28, 2012
2. Linda Bailey, Teacher - West St. John High, January 3 - February 7, 2012
3. Jacqueline Cockerham, Teacher - East St. John High, January 16 - February 28, 2012
II. CLASSIFIED
A. Extended Sick Leave
1. Cindy Terrio, 12 month School Secretary - Fifth Ward Elementary, Dec. 1 -15, 2011
2. Guindella Joseph, Paraprofessional - West St. John High, Dec. 1, 2011 - February 1, 2012
3. Sharon Young, Paraprofessional - LaPlace Elementary, January 3 - March 1, 2012
4. Patricia Roussell, Lunch Technician - East St. John High, January 4 - 25, 2012
5. Betty Dennis, Head Custodian - Emily C. Watkins Elementary, Jan. 20 - May 30, 2012
A motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Triche, to approve the Personnel Changes as presented in globo. There were no objections.
The motion carried.
9 Yeas – Burl, Keller, DeFrancesch, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche, Sanders.
2 Absent – Jack, Jones.
Mr. Jack arrived at 6:07 p.m. and was recorded as present.
ITEM 7. BUSINESS AND FINANCE: a. CSRS – Proposed Change Order for Locker Room Rehabilitation at West St. John Elementary School. Mr. Floyd Luster, CSRS, explained to the board that the project would cost $179,600.00, which exceeds the budget by $79,600.00. Mr. Lusted stated that the proposed price also exceeds the Board-set limit of $100,000 for which three competitive bids are required. The recommendation of CSRS is to deny the change order and the project be reconsidered as part of another, large project in the future that can be competitively bid.
Mr. Jones arrived at 6:11 p.m. and was recorded as present.
A motion was made by Mr. Jack to rebid the project, eliminating the showers and lockers. There was no second to this motion.
A substitute motion was made by Mr. Wise, seconded by Mr. Keller to have CSRS and the current contractor whittle down the proposal presented and convert the space into restrooms and also to lump it with remaining smaller projects in an effort to drive the costs down.
A substitute motion was made by Dr. Keller, seconded by Mr. Bacas to reject the proposed change order for locker room rehabilitations at West St. John Elementary School.
A substitute motion was made by Mr. Burl, seconded by Mr. Jack, to bring a scaled down version of the current proposal out for bid, deleting the showers and the lockers. Upon roll call there were:
8 Yeas: Jack, Burl, Keller, Defrancesch, Jones, Johnson, Nicholas, Sanders
3 Nays: Wise, Bacas, Triche
The motion carried.
b. Mrs. Ondena Farlough – Approval of Head Start 2012-2013 Continued Refunding Grant Application - Cycle 3.
A motion was made by Dr. Keller, seconded by the entire board to approve the Head Start 2012-2013 Continued Reading Grant Application – Cycle 3. There were no objections.
9 Yeas – Jack, Burl, DeFrancesch, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Sanders.
2 Not Seated – Keller, Triche.
The motion carried.
ITEM 8. OLD BUSINESS. a. None
ITEM 9. NEW BUSINESS. a. Mr. Albert Burl, Board Member – Request adoption of Resolution in support of St. John Parish Council’s propositions.
A motion was made by Mr. Burl, seconded by Mr. Nicholas to adopt the Resolution in support of St. John parish Council’s propositions. Upon roll call there were:
10 Yeas: Jack, Burl, Keller, DeFrancesch, Jones, Johnson, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche, Sanders
1 Nay: Wise
The motion carried.
RESOLUTION
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
RESERVE, LA
WHERE AS, the St. John Parish School Board recognizes the need to partner with and support the St. John Parish Councils’ efforts,
WHERE AS, the St. John Parish School Board also recognizes that the St. John Council is dependent on Ad Valorem taxes as a revenue source for successful operation of the Parish’s activities,
WHERE AS, the St. John Parish School Board is aware that any additional taxes would negatively impact the local economy,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the St. John Parish School Board does hereby declare our support for the St. John Councils’ Proposition - No. 1 (Millage Renewal), Proposition – No. 2 (Millage Renewal), Proposition No. 3 (Millage), Proposition No. 4 (Millage) and Proposition No. 5 (Millage) in a special election to be held on Saturday, April 21, 2012 and that these propositions will not increase taxes.
The vote, in open meeting, on this resolution was as follows:
Yeas:___________
Nays:___________
Absent:_________
CERTIFICATE
We, hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was adopted by the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board in regular session duly convened on February 2, 2012 and that the same has not been rescinded or repealed.
Reserve, Louisiana, this 2nd Day of February, 2012.
/s/Patrick H. Sanders, President /s/Clarence Triche, Vice-President
St. John the Baptist Parish School Board St. John the Baptist Parish School Board
b. Dr. Leigh Ann Beard and Mr. Elton Oubre - Request approval of new policies: GBN; GBRA; II.
A motion was made by Mr. Bacas, seconded by Mr. Triche, to approve the new policies: GBN; GBRA; II. There were no objections.
11 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, DeFrancesch, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche, Sanders.
POLICY: GBN
DISMISSAL OF EMPLOYEES
It shall be the policy of the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board to strive to assist personnel in every way possible to adjust to their positions and to perform their duties satisfactorily. Every reasonable effort shall be made to avoid the necessity of dismissing personnel at any level.
With the exception of lay-offs caused by programmatic changes, budget cuts, staff reorganizations, and/or reductions in force, no School Board employee shall be dismissed except as provided below. Any school employee shall be dismissed by the Board, in accordance with statutory provisions, upon final conviction or pleading nolo contendere of certain crimes enumerated in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §15:587.1 and/or any other felony. In addition, employees may be dismissed for failure to properly report arrests for certain offenses enumerated in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:16.
CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEES
A permanent teacher shall not be removed from his/her position except upon written and signed charges of willful neglect of duty, or incompetency, dishonesty, or immorality, or of being a member of or contributing to any group, organization, movement, or corporation that is by law or injunction prohibited from operating in the state of Louisiana, and then only if found guilty by a majority of the Board’s membership after a hearing by the School Board.
The Board, if it decides to proceed upon the charges, shall notify the tenured teacher in writing at least twenty (20) days prior to the hearing, stating the charges brought against him/her, and shall arrange for a hearing to be held in accordance with due process provisions of the law, such hearing to be public or private at the option of the tenured teacher.
During the probationary term of an employee of the school district, the Board may dismiss an employee upon the written recommendation of the Superintendent; said recommendation to include valid reasons for the dismissal.
Performance Contracts
Professional personnel who have entered into employment contracts with the Board may be removed from employment upon being found incompetent, inefficient, or failing to fulfill the terms and performance objectives of his/her contract during the term of his/her contract. Notification of termination of an employment contract shall be in accordance with terms of the contract and applicable state law. Any person so removed shall be entitled to written charges, notice of hearings, and a fair hearing before the Board. If the person so removed had previously acquired tenure, then upon removal or non-renewal of contract, he/she shall be returned to his/her former position or one of equal salary as his/her former position, unless the employee chooses to terminate his/her employment.
SUPPORT PERSONNEL
Bus Operators
During his/her probationary term, a bus operator may be dismissed by the Board upon the Superintendent's written recommendation, accompanied by valid reasons therefore.
Any school bus operator found unsatisfactory by the Board at the expiration of his/her probationary term shall be notified in writing by the District that he/she has been discharged or dismissed.
A permanent school bus operator shall not be removed from his/her position except upon written and signed charges of willful neglect of duty, or incompetence, or immorality, or drunkenness while on duty, failure to comply with requirements of La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:491.3 relative to being arrested for one or more of the specified offenses, or physical disability to perform his/her duties, or failure to keep his/her transfer equipment in a safe, comfortable, and practical operating condition, or of being a member of or contributing to any group, organization, movement, or corporation that is prohibited by law or injunction from operating in the state, and then only if found guilty after a hearing by the School Board by a majority of the Board’s membership. An additional ground for the removal from office of any permanent school bus operator shall be the abolition, discontinuance, or consolidation of routes, but then only if it is found as a fact, after a hearing by the School Board, that it is in the best interests of the school system to abolish, discontinue, or consolidate said route or routes.
All hearings shall be private or public, at the option of the operator affected thereby. At least twenty (20) days in advance of the date of the hearing the Superintendent, with approval of the School Board, shall furnish the affected operator a copy of the written grounds on which said abolition, discontinuance, or consolidation of routes is sought. The operator affected shall have the right to appear before the Board with witnesses in his/her behalf and with counsel of his/her selection, all of whom shall be heard by the Board at said hearing.
If a permanent school bus operator is found guilty, the Superintendent shall furnish to the school bus operator a written statement of recommendation of removal or discipline, which shall include but not be limited to the exact reason, offense, or instance upon which the recommendation is based.
In the event that one or more school bus operators must be removed due to the abolition, discontinuance, or consolidation of routes, the principle of seniority shall apply, so that the last school bus operator hired to serve within the school system to be affected shall be the first to be removed.
Support Employees Other Than Bus Operators
Dismissal of any non-tenured support school employee shall be accomplished in accordance with the following procedure:
(1) Should the Superintendent determine that the dismissal of a non-tenured employee is warranted, he/she shall make a written recommendation of dismissal to the School Board. The recommendation shall outline the reasons thereof, and a copy of said recommendation shall be provided to the employee.
(2) The School Board shall be asked to act upon the recommended dismissal at the next meeting following its receipt of such written recommendation.
As used herein, non-tenured employees shall refer to those school employees who have not attained tenure, including, without limitation, janitors/custodians, teachers' aides, clerical employees, maintenance workers, and cafeteria workers.
Revised: November, 1985 Approved: October 15, 2009
Revised: December, 1990 Revised: December 2, 2010
Revised: December, 1992 Revised: November, 2011
Revised: November, 2003
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. ''15:587.1, 17:15, 17:16, 17:81.5, 17:443, 17:444, 17:492, 17:493; Board minutes, 1-7-88, 10-15-09, 12-2-10.
POLICY: GBRA
EMPLOYEE CONDUCT
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board believes the teaching profession occupies a position of public trust involving not only the individual teacher's personal conduct, but also the interaction of the school and the community. Education is most effective when these many relationships operate in a friendly, cooperative, and constructive manner. A teacher's conduct, as well as the conduct of all employees throughout the school district, should meet acceptable standards of the community and show respect for the law and the rights of others.
All employees, volunteers, student teachers, interns, and any other person affiliated with the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board have the responsibility to be familiar with and abide by the laws of the state, the policies and decisions of the School Board, and the administrative regulations and procedures designed to implement Board policies. Employees and others shall also comply with the standards of conduct set out in this policy and with any other policies, regulations, procedures, or guidelines that impose duties, requirements, or standards of conduct attendant to their status as School Board employees.
Employees and all others shall be expected to observe at least the following standards of conduct:
! Be courteous to students, one another, and the public and conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner.
! Recognize and respect the rights and property of students, other employees, and the public.
! Maintain confidentiality of all matters relating to students and other employees.
! Demonstrate dependable attendance and punctuality with regard to assigned activities and work schedules.
! Observe and adhere to all terms of an employee's contract or job description.
! Strive to keep current and knowledgeable about the employee's area of responsibility.
! Refrain from promoting personal attitudes and opinions for matters other than general discussion.
! Refrain from using undue influence to gain, or attempt to gain, promotion, leave, favorable assignments, or other individual benefit or advantage.
! Advocate positive personal behavior on or off campus and attempt to avoid improprieties or the appearance of improprieties.
While the operation of the School Board and its schools is governed by the provisions of this and all other Board policies, regulations, and procedures, as well as procedures of the individual schools, no policy manual can list each and every instance of misconduct that is precluded. Accordingly, employees are cautioned that the appropriateness of certain action or behavior must necessarily be dictated by the nature of the position held by the employee and standards of common sense. By virtue of one's education and experience, an employee knows and understands that certain actions or conducts are unacceptable even in the absence of formal Board policy. For instance, without the need of a specific prohibition or warning, a classroom teacher should be aware of the impropriety of certain practices such as leaving students unattended, using profanity or sexually suggestive language, or bringing a firearm onto campus. Such conduct constitutes both incompetence and willful neglect of duty. Such conduct, as well as violation of any state or federal law or Board policies, regulations, or procedures, or school regulations or procedures, shall result in the imposition of discipline up to and including termination.
PROHIBITED SEXUAL CONDUCT
Employees shall be prohibited from engaging in any form of sexual conduct with students. In particular, it is a violation of criminal statutes for any educator, which includes any administrator, coach, instructor, teacher, paraprofessional, teacher aide, or student aide, to engage in sexual conduct, as defined in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §14:81.4 with a student who is seventeen (17) years of age or older, but less than twenty-one (21) years of age, where there is an age difference of greater than four (4) years between the two persons.
Notwithstanding any claim of privileged communication, any educator, having cause to believe that prohibited sexual conduct has occurred between another educator and a student, shall be required by state law to immediately report such conduct to a local or state law enforcement agency.
NOTIFICATION BY EMPLOYEES
A teacher or any other School Board employee shall report any final conviction or plea of guilty or nolo contendere to any criminal offense, excluding traffic offenses, to the School Board within forty-eight (48) hours of conviction or plea.
Arrests for Certain Sexual Offenses
Effective January 1, 2012, any public school employee shall be required to report his/her arrest for a violation of La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:42-14:43.5, 14:80-14:81.5, any other sexual offense affecting minors, any of the crimes listed in La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §15:587.1, or any justified complaint of child abuse or neglect on file with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services.
The report shall be submitted to the Superintendent or his/her designee within twenty-four (24) hours of the arrest. However, if the employee is arrested on a Saturday, Sunday, or a legally declared school holiday such report shall be made prior to the employee next returning for his/her work assignment at a school. Such report shall be made by the employee or an agent of the employee regardless of whether he/she was performing an official duty or responsibility as an employee at the time of the offense. In addition, the employee shall report the disposition of any legal proceedings related to any such arrest, which shall also be made a part of any related files or records.
Any employee who fails to comply with these provisions shall be suspended with or without pay by the School Board if such employee is serving a probationary term of employment or if the provisions of law relative to probation and tenure are not applicable to the employee.
Any employee employed by the School Board who is a tenured employee of the Board shall be subject to removal under applicable state laws for failure to comply with these provisions. Written and signed charges alleging such failure shall be brought against the employee.
Unless criminal charges are instituted pursuant to an arrest which is required to be reported as provided above, all information, records, hearing materials, and final recommendations of the school pertaining to such reported arrest shall remain confidential and shall not be subject to a public records request.
School employee, as used in this policy, shall mean any employee of the School Board, including teachers, substitute teachers, bus drivers, substitute bus drivers, or janitor, and shall include all temporary, part-time, and permanent school employees.
Revised: November 16, 2006
Revised: November, 2007
Revised: November 6, 2008
Revised: October 15, 2009
Revised: November, 2011
Ref: 41 USC 702 (Drug-Free Workplace); La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§14:81, 14:81.4, 17:15, 17:16, 17:81; Sylvester v. Cancienne, 95-0789 (La. App. 1st Cir. 11/9/95), 664 So.2d 1259; Howard v. West Baton Rouge Parish School Board, 2000-3234 (La. 6/29/01), 793 So.2d 153; Spurlock v. East Feliciana Parish School Board, 03-1879 (La. App. 1st Cir. 6/25/04), 885 So.2d 1225; Board minutes, 8-15-02, 11-16-06, 11-6-08; Board minutes, 10-15-09.
POLICY: II
TESTING PROGRAM
The St. John the Baptist Parish School Board shall take every precaution to assure that all tests administered within the school system shall be conducted in such a manner so as not to compromise in any way the testing results. For criterion-referenced, norm-referenced, alternate assessments and certain other tests administered by or through the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) including End of Course Testing (EOCT), and Academic Skills Assessments (ASA), testing materials and procedures, as well as any electronic data, computer media, or passwords related to student testing, shall be properly supervised in strict compliance with regulations outlined by BESE and the School Board. In addition, all secure tests and test documents shall be stored under lock and key in designated areas when not in use.
Any teacher or other school personnel who allows or breaches test security, including unauthorized access to electronic data, shall be disciplined in accordance with statutory provisions, policy and regulations adopted by BESE and the School Board, and any and all laws that may be enacted by the state.
Employees shall be responsible for reporting irregularities or improprieties in the administration of standardized tests. Although procedures for reporting irregularities to district personnel are listed below, employees may report such information directly to the Louisiana Department of Education, which shall investigate the allegations. No employee shall make a report of irregularities or improprieties in the administration of standardized tests knowing that the information included is false. No employee shall knowingly obstruct the procedures for receiving and investigating a report of irregularities or improprieties in the administration of standardized tests.
No public school administrator or member of a School Board shall retaliate against an employee who in good faith participates in an investigation of testing administration improprieties or irregularities. Retaliation shall include discharging, demoting, suspending, threatening, harassing, or discriminating of an employee who in good faith reports testing administration improprieties or irregularities.
CELLULAR TELEPHONES
All cell phones or other similar technological devices with imaging or text-messaging capabilities that are the property of students, test administrators, and school test coordinators must be placed in and remain in the off position and stored in a secure area as designated and supervised by a school administrator during test administration or any other time that test booklets and answer documents are present.
TESTING SECURITY
1. It shall be a violation of test security for any person to do any of the following:
a. Administer tests in a manner that is inconsistent with the administrative instructions provided by the Louisiana Department of Education and the School Board that would give examinees an unfair advantage or disadvantage;
b. Give examinees access to test questions prior to testing;
c. Examine any test item at any time (except for students during the test or test administrators while providing the accommodations Tests Read Aloud or Communication Assistance, Transferred Answers, or Answers Recorded for students determined to be eligible for those accommodations);
d. At any time, copy, reproduce, record, store electronically, discuss, or use in a manner inconsistent with test regulations all or part of any secure test booklet, answer document, or supplementary secure materials;
e. Coach examinees in any manner during testing or alter or interfere with examinees' responses in any manner;
f. Provide answers to students in any manner during the test, including provision of cues, clues, hints, and/or actual answers in any form -- written, printed, verbal or nonverbal;
g. Administer published parallel, previously administered, or current forms of any statewide assessment as a practice test or study guide;
h. Fail to follow security regulations for distribution and return of secure test booklets, answer documents, supplementary secure materials, as well as overages as directed; or fail to account for and secure test materials before, during, or after testing;
i. Conduct testing in environments that differ from the usual classroom environment without prior written permission from the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Assessments and Accountability;
j. Fail to report any testing irregularities to the District Test Coordinator (a testing irregularity is any incident in test handling or administration that leads to a question regarding the security of the test or the accuracy of the test data), who must report such incidents to the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Assessments and Accountability;
k. Participate in, direct, aid, counsel, assist in, encourage, or fail to report any of the acts prohibited in this section.
2. A Statement of Assurance regarding the Board's test security policy shall be submitted annually to the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Assessments and Accountability. This statement shall include the name of the individual designated by the Superintendent to procure test materials.
A Statement of Assurance regarding the School Board’s End of Course (EOC) emergency plan shall also be submitted annually to the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Assessments and Accountability. The emergency plan shall provide the necessary steps to be followed in the event of an emergency that results in the disruption of online testing.
3. Test materials, including all test booklets, answer documents, supplementary secure materials containing secure test questions, video tapes, and completed observation sheets, shall be kept secure and accounted for in accordance with the procedure specified in the test administration manuals and other communications provided by the Louisiana Department of Education.
Secure test materials are those materials that contain test items or student responses and to which access is restricted. Secure test materials include, student test booklets, student answer documents, any supplementary secure materials, and any other materials that contain test items or student responses.
a. All test materials except district and school test coordinator manuals and test administration manuals, test booklets, answer documents, and supplementary secure materials shall be kept in a designated, locked secure storage area prior to, during, and after administration of any test; all secure materials, including any parallel forms of a test, shall be kept in locked storage at both the district and school levels; secure materials must never be left in open areas or unattended;
b. Test administrators are to be given access to the tests and any supplementary secure materials only on the day the test is to be administered, and these are to be retrieved immediately after testing is completed for the day and stored in a designated locked, secure storage area each day of testing.
c. All test booklets, answer documents, and supplementary secure materials shall be accounted for and written documentation kept by test administrators and proctors for each point at which test materials are distributed and returned.
d. Any discrepancies noted in the serial numbers of test booklets, answer documents, and any supplementary secure materials, or the quantity received from contractors shall be reported to the Division of Assessments and Accountability (LDE) by the school district's Test Coordinator prior to the administration of the test.
e. In the event the test booklets, answer documents, or supplementary secure materials are determined to be missing while in the possession of the school district or in the event of any other testing irregularities or breaches of security, the District Test Coordinator shall immediately notify by telephone the Division of Assessments and Accountability (LDE) and follow the detailed procedures for investigating and reporting specified in BESE's Test Security Policy.
4. Only personnel trained in test security and administration shall be allowed to have access to or administer any statewide assessments.
5. The Superintendent shall designate annually one individual in the district as District Test Coordinator, and, if necessary, one individual as Backup District Test Coordinator, who shall be authorized to procure test materials which are utilized in testing programs administered by or through BESE or the Louisiana Department of Education. The name of the individuals so designated shall be provided in writing to the Division of Assessments and Accountability, Louisiana Department of Education, and included on the Statement of Assurance.
If during the academic year the person appointed as District Test Coordinator changes, the Superintendent shall notify the LDE, Division of Assessments and Accountability in writing within fifteen (15) days of the change of appointment.
6. Testing shall be conducted in class-sized groups. Permission for testing in environments that differ from the usual classroom setting must be obtained in writing from the Louisiana Department of Education, Division of Assessment and Accountability at least thirty (30) days prior to testing. If testing outside the usual classroom setting is approved by the Division of Assessments and Accountability, the School Board shall provide at least one proctor for every thirty (30) students.
7. The State Superintendent of Education may disallow test results which may have been achieved in any manner which is in violation of test security.
8. In cases where test results are not accepted because of breach of test security or action by the Louisiana Department of Education, any programmatic, evaluative, or graduation criteria dependent upon the data shall be deemed not to have been met.
9. Individuals shall adhere to all procedures specified in all operational manuals that govern the mandated testing programs, as well as ensure the security of individual student test data in electronic formats, including encryption of student demographics in any email correspondence.
10. Anyone known to be involved in the presentation of forged, counterfeit, or altered identification for the purposes of obtaining admission to a test administration site for any test administered by or through BESE or the Louisiana Department of Education shall have breached test security. Any individual who knowingly causes or allows the presentation of forged, counterfeit or altered identification for the purpose of obtaining admission to any test administration site shall forfeit all test scores but will be allowed to retake the test at the next test administration.
11. The District Test Coordinator shall initiate the investigation of all reports of testing irregularities, including anonymous complaints, access to electronic data, missing test materials, or instances of plagiarism or excessive wrong-to-right erasures on a test, in accordance with procedures outlined by the Louisiana Department of Education in Bulletin 118, Statewide Assessment Standards and Practices, and/or the School Board. The District Test Coordinator may elicit the assistance of school district administrative personnel as well as other persons deemed appropriate to assist in any investigation. Once the investigation has been completed, a report of the results of the investigation shall be submitted to the Division of Assessments and Accountability, Louisiana Department of Education, and the Superintendent.
Investigation Process
Procedures for investigating any testing irregularity shall follow the procedures outlined in Bulletin 118, Statewide Assessment Standards and Practices, but shall include the following:
a. In instances where any testing irregularities may have occurred, an initial written report of the alleged irregularity shall be prepared by the site administrator where the instance occurred. Said documentation shall then be forwarded to the building principal, school test coordinator, the District Test Coordinator, and the Superintendent.
b. The District Test Coordinator shall review the allegation of test security violation and conduct an investigation of any such allegations, documenting all investigative activities. The formal investigation will include, but not be limited to:
i. The location of the designated, locked, secure area for storage of materials shall be examined, and the individuals with access to secure materials shall be identified;
ii. Interviews regarding testing administration and security procedures shall be conducted with the principal, school test coordinator(s), test administrator(s), and proctor(s) at the identified schools. All individuals who had access to the test materials at any time shall be interviewed;
iii. Interviews shall be conducted with students in the identified classes regarding testing procedures, layout of the classroom, access to test materials before the test, and access to unauthorized materials during testing;
iv. Compilation of any documents to support or to refute allegations made. All individuals who had access to the test materials at any time must be interviewed.
A written summary of the findings of the investigation shall be provided the Superintendent.
c. If the investigation conducted provides evidence to indicate that a breach of test security did indeed occur, individuals involved in such security breach shall be identified, and depending upon the nature of the violation, appropriate corrective and/or punitive action may be pursued.
(1) Students found to have purposefully violated test security shall have test results voided and will be referred to the site administrator for appropriate disciplinary action in accordance with provisions of the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board Policy Manual.
(2) Any teachers or other school personnel found to have purposefully violated test security shall be charged with violation of state and/or parish policy and disciplinary action shall be pursued in accordance with the provisions of state statutes, with direction from the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board.
d. After completion of the investigation, the School Board shall provide a report of the investigation and a written plan of action to the State Superintendent within thirty (30) calendar days of the initiation of the investigation. At a minimum, the report shall include the nature of the situation, the time and place of occurrence, and the names of the persons involved in or witness to the occurrence.
12. All persons involved in the administration of tests or that have access to test materials or student test data shall annually receive proper training and development for handling and securing all testing materials, as well as proper security maintenance, access to electronic data and confidentiality requirements. A record of such activities shall be maintained by the Board. Such activities shall be coordinated and supervised by the District Test Coordinator. School testing coordinators shall in turn inservice all school level personnel having access to testing materials on security, administration, and confidentiality of individual or aggregated student test data. Access to secure test materials by school personnel shall mean physically handling the materials, but does not include reading, reviewing, or analyzing test items, either before or after testing, which are prohibited.
In addition, the Board shall maintain administrative procedures to assign a different test administrator for a class than the teacher of record for the class, except for teachers testing students with accommodations and younger students, grades 3 through 8.
The Board shall also maintain administrative procedures for the monitoring of test sites to ensure appropriate test security procedures are being followed and to observe test administration procedures.
13. All test administrators and proctors shall be required to sign the Oath of Security and return it to the School Test Coordinator to keep on file for three (3) years. The School Test Coordinator and principal shall be required to sign an Oath of Security and return it to the District Test Coordinator to be kept on file at the School Board office for three (3) years.
14. A list of personnel authorized to have access to the locked, secure storage area where all test materials are stored shall be maintained by the Board. School personnel authorized to have access to the locked secure storage area shall only include the School Test Coordinator, principal, or assistant principal of each school. Additionally, a list of all individuals who have access to student level test data shall be maintained.
15. The School Board shall ensure that individual student test data in electronic and paper formats are protected from unauthorized access and disclosure. The District Test Coordinator and other authorized users of the LEAPweb Reporting System, the LEAPdata Query System, and the Enhanced Assessment of Grade Level Expectations (EAGLE) System shall be responsible for ensuring the security of all passwords, any disks or CD's with downloaded individual student test data, and student-level data open on a computer screen. Any student information from these systems shall not be disclosed to anyone other than a state, district, or school official, or parent/guardian as defined by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). All users who are granted a password to these systems shall abide by FERPA provisions.
School level passwords for access to individual school data shall be provided to school principals by the District Test Coordinator as requested. Principals shall be responsible for distributing the password as needed to school personnel and to provide for security and confidentiality of the school level password.
All users shall be required to sign a security agreement guaranteeing they will not share any password with unauthorized individuals and maintain the confidentiality of student data. A copy of the security agreement shall be sent to the District Test Coordinator for safekeeping, or for school users, maintained by the principal of each school. Signed security agreements shall be valid until the District Test Coordinator receives notification that the Security Agreement available online has been revised. A new security agreement shall be signed by all users each year after the new password letter for schools and districts has been automatically generated in August of each year. If a breach in security occurs, principals shall immediately contact the District Test Coordinator or his/her backup for a replacement password. Users who have access to these systems and leave their positions at a district or school site shall not use or share any passwords. District Test Coordinators shall send their signed security agreements for the Louisiana Department of Education.
PASSWORDS
Principals will be issued a secured password that will provide them with access to their school's test data. With the access to test data being governed under the same principles and practices afforded all electronic data security, principals are held responsible for keeping access restricted to their individual usage. This password will permit access to all student‑level LEAP 21 and GEE 21 data in the school district at their respective schools.
Following the inservice on test security each year, the District Test Coordinator will issue the principal the state department‑assigned, security access password. This password is to be kept in a safe place that is secured and strictly confidential. All necessary precautions shall be followed to ensure that there is no breach of this security. Any downloaded individual student test data stored on disk or CD, or any open computer screen, must be protected from any unauthorized access and disclosure.
Should the principal learn that the password is known and is being used without his/her express permission, he/she shall notify the District Test Coordinator who will then notify the state department of the situation. A letter will be issued from the Louisiana Department of Education to the Superintendent of the school system regarding the breach of security of student information by the principal.
Revised: June, 2001 Revised: April, 2008
Revised: November, 2001 Revised: November, 2010
Revised: May, 2003 Revised: December, 2011
Revised: April, 2006
Ref: La. Rev. Stat. Ann. ''17:24, 17:81, 17:81.6, 49:953; Statewide Assessment Standards and Practices, Bulletin 118, Louisiana Department of Education; Board minutes, 5-3-01, 6-5-08.
c. Dr. Leigh Ann Beard – Standing Committee Elections. Dr. Beard stated that according to board policy, the following three committees require elected representation: Finance/Auxiliary Committee, Personnel Committee, Communications/Pupil Services Committee. The terms of office for these committees is two years.
STANDING COMMITTEES:
Personnel Services:
George Rush, Parent - ESJH
Melissa Faucheux, Teacher - LPE
Financial/Auxillary Services:
Katrina Caston, Parent - LPE & ESJH
Patty Forsythe, Teacher - LES
Herman Clayton, Support Staff - Maintenance
Communication/Pupil Services:
Gail Brazile, Teacher - WSJE
Amelia Williams, Parent - LES - Representative
Candace Robertson, Parent - GMMS - Alternate
d. Lloyd LeBlanc, Board Attorney – Legal Update. None
ADDENDUM ITEM 9e. Rev. Rodney Nicholas, Board Member – Request board approval to solicit proposals for redistricting services.
A motion was made by Rev. Nicholas, seconded by the entire board, to approve solicitation of proposals for redistricting services. There were no objections.
11 Yeas – Jack, Burl, Keller, DeFrancesch, Jones, Johnson, Wise, Bacas, Nicholas, Triche, Sanders.
The motion carried.
ITEM 10. ADMINSTRATIVE MATTERS: a. Committee Reports. None.
ITEM 11. BOARD-RELATED ITEMS OF INTEREST.
a. Mr. Albert Burl, Board Member – Pest Control Contract. Mr. Burl asked Mr. Peter Montz to update the board on what is going on with the pest control contract. Mr. Peter Montz stated the following: It is administration’s position that the issue with the pest control contract is mainly a lack of communication by the contractor, Tally Pest Control, with the district level administration. This issue has been addressed with the contractor and district level administrators during the events at ESJH and CDC as well as GMMA and LGAP. Mr. Tally has since provided administration with a cell phone number and an email address. He also understands that he must report by email any and all issues pertaining to pest control prevention to district level administrators immediately. This will ensure we are doing our part to maintain the perimeter of our facilities. Therefore, it is administration’s recommendation to place Tally Pest Control on a thirty day probation period. During this time, he will be able to adjust his service to the district and resolve and eliminate all pest control issues. If the service issue is not resolved in thirty days, administration will then recommend his contract with the board be terminated. Discussion followed.
Ms. Carolyn Batiste, SJAE President introduced Dr. Michael Walker-Jones to the board as the new Uniserve liaison.
Mr. Jack requested that discussion of the West St. John High graduation date be placed on the agenda for the next scheduled meeting.
ITEM 12. ADJOURNMENT: The agenda having been completed, and there being no further business, Mr. Bacas offered a motion for adjournment, seconded by Mr. Nicholas. There were no objections. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
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Courtney P. Millet, Ph.D., Secretary Patrick H. Sanders, President