Board approves additional $260,000 at Berry for more carpool queuing

In order to more effectively move traffic off of Columbiana Road, the Vestavia Hills Board of Education on Sept. 30 approved almost $260,000 to create additional roadway for cars to queue during carpool at the old Berry High School campus, which will become Pizitz Middle School next school year.

Assistant Superintendent Patrick Martin said the move was recommended by both Skipper Consulting and Jefferson County, and will result in an additional 1,000 feet of roadway that will loop around the fields at the campus.

Several other change orders were approved at the board meeting, as well. The board approved a change order increasing the cost of the new gym at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights by about $82,000, while also approving a credit decreasing the cost of a classroom addition and renovation by about $76,000.

In order to redesign the serving lines at the new kitchen and cafeteria at Vestavia Hills Elementary West to make them the proper height for the students, the board approved a change order increasing the cost by about $61,000.

The board also approved an increase of about $16,000 at Vestavia Hills Elementary Dolly Ridge to provide a guardrail and other services on the new loop road.

In an effort to protect the school system’s online infrastructure and boost cybersecurity, the board approved a bid with NxtSoft for $44,600 for the initial year and an additional $39,600 each year for the remaining two years of the term. The company will monitor any cyber threats, a much-needed task after some national reports have surfaced about schools suffering cyberattacks, said Director of Technology Keith Price.

Board members David Powell and Jaclyn Hudson abstained from the vote to avoid a potential conflict of interest. Powell works in the technology field, while Hudson’s husband works for NxtSoft.

The board also approved a purchasing card agreement that allows teachers to use a card that comes with $600 preloaded for them to purchase classroom supplies. The move simplifies the process and makes it easier for teachers and bookkeepers, said chief financial officer Courtney Brown.

The board also approved: personnel items, consent items, the 2020-21 school calendar and a multi-year lease for Google Chromebooks, with the cost being spread out over several years to save money.

After the meeting, the board went into executive session to discuss pending litigation. No other information was made available.

On first read, the board introduced, but did not take action on, revisions to multiple school policies, including introducing the Jamari Terrell Williams Student Bullying Prevention Act, which expands the traditional definitions of bullying to include cyberbullying. The policy also changes the wording of the school’s existing policy to include a prohibition on bullying, not just on school property or at school functions, but off of school property as well.

Another recommended policy change includes revising the attendance policy to mandate documentation supporting an excused absence be submitted within three days of the student’s return to school. 

A policy relating to student searches was revised to allow authorized school officials to search student’s personal items when “reasonable suspicion exists that the property contains prohibited materials, illegal substances, weapons, or other items reasonably deemed to present a risk or threat to the safety or welfare of the school community, provided that the nature and extent of the search shall be reasonably related and limited to the suspected violation.” The policy also mandates when a student is searched, two school officials must be present, and if a pat-down or other type of physical contact is deemed necessary, it will be done and witnessed by officials of the same gender as the student.

The board will take action on the proposed policy revisions at the Oct. 28 meeting.