The Escambia County (Ala.) Board of Education last Thursday approved a resolution opposing school start legislation to mandate a school calendar and discussed the importance of an upcoming HPV vaccination following a community wide survey to understand factors associated with health care access and HPV-associated cancer prevention for 5th and 6th graders.
School calendar resolution
The resolution is to oppose statewide efforts and ask all lawmakers representing the Escambia County School System to vote against any bill which proposes to outline a statewide start and/or end date for Alabama public schools.
Knott said that he felt the decision should be kept local, left up to each of the 137 school systems in the state of Alabama. He said if the legislation passed, there would be no spring break and holidays would be cut down to a minimum.
“There's already a law in place that provides our school a means to establish a school calendar based on the community, the parents, our students and the needs it serves,” said Knott. “We as a board feel like this is something we should not be dictated to based on the desires of business or the legislature.”
Knott read the resolution aloud and the board voted. In a motion made by board member Cindy Jackson and seconded by board member Danny Benjamin, the motion carried unanimously.
HPV vaccination clinic
In a partnership between the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Mitchell Cancer Institute at the University of South Alabama, a strategy at the county level has been implemented to promote the prevention of human papilloma virus associated cancers, including vaccinations. A survey to understand factors associated with health care access prompted the opportunities for a vaccination.
“What this consists of is providing very simplistic information to fifth and sixth graders in the form of a Bingo game that will provide basic information so that will understand this vaccination and what it is about,” said school superintendent John Knott. “This will just be a very cursory-type informational program that is provided to them.”
There will be a spring vaccination clinic will be held Tuesday, March 17, and parents will receive consent forms, although some may opt out.
In other business, the board:
-approved to transfer ownership of the train caboose located at Rachel Patterson Elementary School to the Atmore Historical Society. The Atmore Historical Society will assume full responsibility for the entire cost of the relocation of the caboose to Heritage Park.
-approval to purchase outdoor electronic marquee signage for Escambia County Middle School in the amount of $16,880 from Signs Plus/Optec
-approval to award Child's Nutrition Program (CNP) to Mobile Fixture for milk boxes in the amount of $2,820 each and serving lines in the amount of $64,535 total for a quantity of two for FY2020. The Escambia County Board of Educations reserves the right to extend the bid for an additional two years to the awarded bidder upon agreement by both parties.
The next board meeting will be at 4:30 p.m., Thursday, March 19, at the Brewton Central Office.
