After updating the Blair Oaks Board of Education about Monday evening's destructive storm, Superintendent Jim Jones segued Tuesday night's board meeting into a litany of more-ordinary topics.
On Monday straight line-winds ripped two-thirds of the high school gymnasium's roof off, causing an estimated $400,000 in damages, Jones said.
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[http://www.newstrib…">High winds rip roofs off parts of two area schools]He told the board the insurance adjuster from Gallagher Bassett Services Inc. approved the removal of ceilings and walls affected by water damage from Monday's storm, in hopes of avoiding problems with mold in the future.
"Water can cause a lot of long-term issues," Jones said.
The superintendent described the steps taken on Monday to dry out the gym, including building a plastic tent over the floor, in an effort to give fans and dehumidifiers a better opportunity to work.
Jones also noted that he doesn't expect fall sports to be affected by the loss of the gym's roof.
"By the time we get to game season, unless we have to replace the entire gym floor, we hope to have the situation fixed," he said.
Jones said it's possibly a partial replacement of the floor might be necessary. But he also noted Linn State Technical College's gymnasium suffered similar flooding damage and didn't need replacement.
He said replacing the gymnasium floor during the height of summer would be a challenge, because contractors who specialize in that work are already booked.
"It's their busiest time of year," he said.
Also on Monday, the board set a tax rate hearing for 6:45 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Blair Oaks Middle School Library. The tax rate hearing - designed to give the public an opportunity to share opinions about tax rates for the district - will take place prior to the board's regularly scheduled meeting in August.
The board also approved several policy changes to the elementary, middle and high school handbooks.
One of the changes is intended to address excessive absenteeism.
"It's not skipping school, as people traditionally think of it. We've gotten tired of kids being absent for lame reasons," he explained. "We want them in the classroom."
Formerly, the first offense for truancy was two days of in-school suspension; the new punishment has been reduced to one to two days of ISS. Second offenses have been reduced from four days of ISS to as few as two days.
Activities Director Ryan Fick, who helps enforce discipline, said the eternal question is: "Do you punish them for missing class by keeping them out of class?"
In another new policy, school administrators will continue to confiscate cell phones that are used inappropriately on campus, but will return those phones at the end of the school day, rather than keeping them overnight for five days.
"So many parents need those cell phones for communication with their kids. In many families, those phones are the family's land lines," Fick said.
The district is also mitigating the punishments handed down for infractions of the school's alcohol and illegal drug rules.
Prior to the adoption of the new policy, student-athletes were barred from playing one game for a first offense. But a second offense banished them from the playing field for a full year.
Fick said the district needed an intermediate punishment. Under the new policy, student athletes who get caught using drugs or alcohol will be prevented from playing 50 percent of any future contests for the remainder of the school year.
In other new business, the board:
• Approved new breakfast and lunch prices. The new prices will be 10 cents more than last year's rates, to make up for a $22,000 shortfall in meal program revenues.
Lunch prices for elementary school children will be $1.85; lunch prices for students in grades 5-12 will be $2.15; and lunch prices for adults will be $2.45.
• Set admission prices for sporting events at $2 to $4. Senior citizens will be allowed to attend for free.
• Approved a contract with Cole County for a school resource officer to work in the district.
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