Macon County Board of Education - June 2024 Regular Meeting

The Macon County Board of Education is meeting tonight at the Central Offices. Due to the Presidential Debate starting at 9pm, Macon Media will not be attending this meeting. The meeting will be streamed live in a player below. Below the video player is a copy of the premeeting agenda sent out to the media.

Video Player





Board of Education - Jun 27 2024
Meeting Agenda
Macon County Schools Administrative Offices
Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 6:00 PM

A. Call to Order
Board Chair Jim Breedlove

B. Welcome
Board Chair Jim Breedlove

C. Moment of Silence
Board Chair Jim Breedlove

D. Pledge of Allegiance
Board Chair Jim Breedlove

E. Approval of Minutes
1. Regular Scheduled Meeting - May 20, 2024
2. Special Called Joint Meeting- May 28, 2024

F. Approval of Agenda

G. Spotlight on People and Programs

1. NCHSAA Heart of a Champion Award-
Hope Smith & Elijah Cochran
2. Youth Community Service and Leadership Grant Award- Betsy Baste
3. Outdoor Classroom & Clubs- Jennifer Love

H. Public Comment

I. Overnight/Out-of-District Trip Requests
1. Franklin High School Cheerleading to Pigeon Forge, TN, July 12-14, 2024
2. Franklin High School Cheerleading to Concord, NC, July 28- August 1, 2024

J. Fundraising Requests

1. Franklin High School Men's Soccer- Blair King
2. Franklin High School Wrestling- Blair King
3. Iotla Valley Elementary PTO- Michelle Bell
4. Iotla Valley Elementary School- Michelle Bell
5. Macon Early College Yearbook- Caleb Parham
6. South Macon Elementary School- Allison Guynn

K. Policy

1. 2024-2025 Career & Technical Education Grant- Colleen Strickland
2. WNC Driving School Contract- Todd Gibbs
3. 2024-2025 Iotla Valley Student Handbook- Michelle Bell
4. School Nutrition Bids- US Foods, August Produce, PET Dairy, Correction Enterprises & Peach State Fire- David Lightner
5. NCHSAA ADM Update- Todd Gibbs/Mickey Noe
6. Part-Time Occupational Therapy Contract- Brooke Keener
7. Exceptional Children's Data Manager Contract- Brooke Keener
8. Just for Kids Physical Therapy Contract- Brooke Keener
9. Psychologist Internships- Brooke Keener
10. UNC School of Medicine MOU- Brooke Keener
11. Board Policy 5008- Automated Phone and Text Messaging- 2nd Reading- John Henning
12. Board Policy 5022- Registered Sex Offenders- 2nd Reading- John Henning
13. Board Policy 5028/6130/7267- Automated External Defibrillator- 2nd Reading- John Henning
14. Board Policy 5030- Community Use of Facilities- 2nd Reading- John Henning
15. Board Policy 5040- News Media Relations- 2nd Reading- John Henning
16. Board Policy 5070/7350- Public Records-Retention, Release and Disposition- 2nd Reading- John Henning
17. Board Policy 5071/7351- Electronically Stored Information Retention- 2nd Reading- John Henning
18. Board Policy 5210- Distribution and Display of Non-School Material- 2nd Reading- John Henning
19. Board Policy 5220- Collections and Solicitations- 2nd Reading- John Henning
20. Board Policy 5240- Advertising in the Schools- 2nd Reading- John Henning

L. Curriculum and Instruction

M. Building and Grounds

1. Earth Environmental Services - Todd Gibbs
2. Senior Citizen Center Activity Bus Use Request- Todd Gibbs
3. Middle School Track Update- Todd Gibbs
4. Franklin High School Updates- Todd Gibbs
5. MOU Updates- John Henning

N. Business and Finance

1. Highlands Fund Redistribution- Alayna Ledford
2. Final Budget Amendments- Alayna Ledford
3. Continuing Budget Resolution- Alayna Ledford
4. Budget Updates- Alayna Ledford/Josh Lynch

O. Board of Education Information

1. Liaison Report- Diedre Breeden & Hilary Wilkes



P. Superintendent Information 1. Legislative Updates- Josh Lynch
2. Strategic Planning Update- Josh Lynch
3. Coming Events- Josh Lynch

Q. Closed Session
G.S. 143-318.11(a)(1) To prevent the disclosure of privileged or confidential personnel information pursuant to G.S. 115C-319 through 321, and student matters pursuant to G.S. 115C-402 and 20 USC 1232g (FERPA) as well as 143-318.11.(a)(3) To consult with an attorney employed or retained by the public body in order to preserve the attorney-client privilege between the attorney and the public body, which privilege is hereby acknowledged.

R. Personnel Report S. Adjournment

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Liveblog: 2024 Primary Results for Macon County

Macon Media will be posting results of the local 2024 primary for Macon County. The primary focus will be county commissioner races and others will be posted if time allows. Incumbent Josh Young and challenger Chris Browning are seeking a seat in the District II County Commissioner race and Incumbent Paul Higdon is facing challenger Barry Breeden for the District III county commissioner seat.

Results will be posted in reverse chronological order with the newest result on top. Due to a new law passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, vote counting cannot start until after the polls have closed, so the early votes and mail-in ballots will not be posted at 7.30pm as usual. They should be counted by 8.00pm or 8.30pm or so.

Keep refreshing your browser every so often to see the newest results. A mirror will be posted on Facebook at fb.com/MaconMediaNews as individual articles as the results come into the Board of Elections Office.

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**9.51pm**

Ending the liveblog. Thank you are for reading.

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**9.48pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Subtotal of all Voting 

District II

Young 3935

Browning 2511

District III

Higdon 3091

Breeden 3319

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**8.40pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

13 of 15 Precincts

District II

Young 3539

Browning 2214

District III

Higdon 2748

Breeden 2980

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**9.37pm**

The reason the Board of Elections is not posting results precinct by precinct is for safety in order to limit the number of times they connect to the internet to upload results.

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**9.20pm**

The Board of Elections is waiting on three precincts (Cowee, Nantahala, and Cartoogechaye) before they tabulate election day votes.

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**9.05pm**

The Board of Elections will not be reporting results by precinct this year. They are waiting for all the precincts to come in, then they will report.

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**8.31pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Subtotal of all Early Voting (tabulated by Macon Media---Unofficial)

District II

Young 1751

Browning 1062

District III

Higdon 1277

Breeden 1517

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**8.28pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Franklin One Stop (Early Voting)

District II

Young 1531

Browning 902

District III

Higdon 1066

Breeden 1344

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**8.22pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Subtotal (tabulated by Macon Media---Unofficial)

District II

Young 220

Browning 160

District III

Higdon 211

Breeden 173

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**8.19pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Highlands One Stop (Early Voting)

District II

Young 181

Browning 132

District III

Higdon 168

Breeden 149

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**8.14pm**

I (Bobby) have confused the challengers and have edited the posts on MaconMedia.com to reflect the error. Facebook will not allow me to edit posts at the moment. I apologize for the error.

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**8.04pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Transfers

District II

Young 1

Browning 1

District III

Higdon 1

Brreeden 1

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**8.00pm**

MACON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

Absentee by Mail

District II

Young 38

Browning 27

District III

Higdon 42

Breeden 23

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**7.42pm**

Members of the Macon County Board of Elections and staff members feed results into a machine to count the votes.

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**7.38pm**

Board members noted that there were several volunteers who did not show up at the polling places today, often without notice. A lot of voters showed u at the Union precinct (the Robert C Carpenter Community Building) under the mistaken belief that this was their voting precinct, likely because they had voted there during early voting in previous election cycles. 

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**7.30pm**

The polls have officially been closed in Macon County. The Macon County Board of Elections are now preparing to county the Early Voting, Transfers, and for Mail-In Ballots.

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Sponsors Needed to Help Provide N.C. Summer Meals

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is seeking schools and community organizations to serve as sponsors for Summer Nutrition Programs in 2024 to help ensure children who have limited access to food at home get the educational enrichment and nutritious meals they need for optimal growth, development and overall well-being.

PRESS RELEASE
NC DEPT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

 More than one million North Carolina students rely on the nutritious meals and snacks served during the school year through the School Breakfast, School Lunch and Afterschool Meals Programs. When school is out of session, North Carolina’s Summer Nutrition Programs help fill the gap by providing free meals and snacks to children, ages 18 and younger, who might otherwise go hungry.

The N.C. Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) is seeking schools and community organizations to serve as sponsors for Summer Nutrition Programs in 2024 to help ensure children who have limited access to food at home get the educational enrichment and nutritious meals they need for optimal growth, development and overall well-being. Of particular need are schools and community organizations in rural areas, Indian Tribal Territories, and areas with a concentration of migrant farm workers, where access to summer meal sites or transportation has been an issue. New federal regulations permit sponsors with a rural designation to apply for State Agency approval to allow meals for multiple days to be taken away from the meal site for children to enjoy throughout the week.

Last summer, NCDPI approved 175 sponsors to help provide reimbursable meals for children. Through these community partnerships, community and school sites served over 3.9 million meals to hungry children at 2,492 sites across the state.

N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs are administered by the NCDPI, Office of School Nutrition, with federal assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). NCDPI collaborates with public school units, charter and non-public schools, public and private non-profit organizations, and other community partners to serve as program sponsors. Sponsors are eligible to receive federal reimbursement for all qualifying meals served to children.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt underscored the importance of community partnerships to support students’ nutrition needs during the summer.

“By increasing the number of community sponsors, we can provide meals to more food-insecure children across all of North Carolina, from urban centers to rural communities,” Truitt said. “Participation in Summer Nutrition Programs provides children with critical nutrients for continued growth, development and learning in addition to key educational enrichment while school is out.”  

The Summer Food Service Program and Seamless Summer Option are extensions of the National School Lunch Program. Both were established by USDA to ensure economically disadvantaged children continue to receive nutritious meals when school is out of session. The core purpose of these programs is to bridge the gap of food insecurity for children eligible for free or reduced-priced school meals. Acceptable sites may be a location where meals are served in a supervised setting and open to all children in the community or one that serves specific children at a summer camp. Summer Nutrition Programs are typically located in economically distressed areas to serve the most food-insecure, vulnerable students. Meal sites may be located at schools, public housing centers, playgrounds, camps, parks, medical centers, faith-based facilities, libraries and other locations. Meals served at all sites must be provided at no charge to eligible children regardless of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), age or disability. Registration and ID are not required.

To learn more about N.C. Summer Nutrition Programs and how your organization may become involved in providing summer meals to children in your community, please visit the NCDPI, Summer Nutrition Program website or contact the NCDPI, Summer Nutrition Program team.

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
2. (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or
3. email: program.intake@usda.gov.

---END PRESS RELEASE---

DAY SPONSOR
Royal Carribean Icon of the Seas

Macon Media is being sponsored today by the newest Royal Carribean cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas. 

 On the new Icon of the Seas, where you stay is just as thrilling as how you play. From expansive balconies that invite the sea breeze to our most over-the-top family accommodations — our range of spacious rooms is designed with family comfort in mind. Learn more about the largest cruise ship in the world on the video posted below, and then book your trip with us for the experience of a lifetime!

Ship Tour



Book your cruise at [Icon of the Seas]

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