The Norman Public Schools Board of Education approved a resolution to call for a general election for the board’s District 4 seat during its meeting on Monday and heard an announcement from the Boeing Company in Oklahoma City for a $100,000 grant supporting the district’s Oklahoma Aviation Academy program.
7:34 p.m.
The meeting was adjourned.
7:32 p.m.
The board re-entered open session.
7:24 p.m.
The board entered executive session
7:17 p.m.
NPS Superintendent Nick Migliorino said the board has been having conversations with the Norman City Council regarding school resource officers in the district.
"I do believe at the end of the day, everybody has the same mission in mind, which is to provide the best opportunities and the safest environment for all our students and staff," Migliorino said.
Last month, Norman City Council voted to postpone a vote appropriating $900,995 from the general fund balance for the expansion of the school resource officer program. Council also considered plans to hold a meeting with city and county leaders to discuss its decision.
In response, Migliorino and Professional Educators of Norman President Adrienne Hall wrote in a letter last month that while they support the dialogue and are happy to answer questions from council members, they hope progress will not be stalled as the district wants to have at least one school resource officer at all NPS sites by January.
“If we insist on having officers at our secondary schools, board meetings, and city council meetings for adults, why would we not also insist on providing the same protection for our elementary schools?” Migliorino and Hall asked in the letter.
7:14 p.m.
The Norman Public Schools Board of Education approved a resolution calling for a general election on April 2 for the board’s District 4 seat. Persons interested in running for the position must file for candidacy with the Cleveland County Election Board during the filing period from 8 a.m. on Dec. 4 to 5 p.m. on Dec. 6, according to the meeting agenda.
Chad Vice currently represents District 4 after being elected in an uncontested race in 2014 and then winning the seat again in 2019. According to the NPS website, school board members are elected to staggered, five-year terms, meaning Vice’s term expires next year.
7:13 p.m.
The board is discussing proposed meeting dates for 2024.
7:10 p.m.
NPS President Dirk O'Hara said he wants each school site to have a licensed mental health professional.
"It's a passion of mine that we have to have access to that for people," O'Hara said. "We have to have a generation of kids that understand when they're 30, they don't need to just go see their doctor for a physical exam, but we need to be doing mental exams."
7 p.m.
According to Kitrena Hime, NPS director of Counseling and Student Advocacy, Norman High School and Norman North High School each have a licensed mental health professional.
"We have an entire referral process and to help bridge that gap because we know that we're kind of in a mental health desert here," Hime said. "Sometimes, it's hard to get in to a therapist."
6:51 p.m.
Kitrena Hime, NPS director of Counseling and Student Advocacy, is giving a presentation regarding mental health in the school district.
"Our teachers are imperative in being able to support the wellbeing of students," Hime said. "Being able to best prepare them for managing and communicating everything that we hope for the best for our students is really important. So there's a lot of time that's been dedicated to training teachers and training principles and preparing counselors for everything that we're going to talk about."
Hime said there's a lot of 988 information and posters around the district. 988 is a suicide and crisis helpline.
6:38 p.m.
The board is hearing an update regarding the strategic plan for the middle schools in the district from Gayla Mears, the executive director of Support Services at NPS.
6:31 p.m.
Beth Roberson, the NPS director of health services, said over 3,000 of Norman Public Schools students have some kind of health condition.
Roberson attributed the number of health room visits NPS experienced last year to the increasing student population and the number of students with chronic health conditions.
6:20 p.m.
The Norman Public Schools Board of Education approved all of the consent items on the agenda. Some of the items include a purchase request for MacBook screens, certified and support personnel reports and recommendations and various activity fundraising reports.
The board is hearing a health service update from Beth Roberson, the NPS director of health services.
According to a presentation from Roberson, NPS experienced 121,252 student health room visits in 2022-23.
Roberson said the main reason for visits were influenza-like symptoms.
Last year, 566 NPS students had severe chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, seizure disorder and severe asthma, according to Roberson.
6:16 p.m.
The meeting has moved to public comment.
6:10 p.m.
Leaders from the Boeing Company in Oklahoma City announced a $100,000 grant to support Norman Public Schools’ Oklahoma Aviation Academy program.
"I am thankful for Boeing and yes, without your contribution and this grant, we would not be able to do what we have been able to do thus far," NPS Superintendent Nick Migliorino said. "We look forward to the continued relationship with Boeing."
6 p.m.
The meeting has started.
Terry Adams, director for the Oklahoma Aviation Academy at Norman Public Schools, said this year, the academy has 165 students currently enrolled. Of those, 30% are female, he added.
