Can Tenamore

WESTFIELD — Westfield Academy and Central School board of education members heard a presentation on another option for combining the district website and social media into a single source of information at their recent supplemental meeting.

District Technology coordinator Can Tenamore outlined a proposition from Blackboard LLC, which currently provides the district’s website, to create a site that would combine all social media platforms.

“It’s communication across all platforms with one click of a button,” Tenamore said. “It’s time to do a complete overhaul because our current system is eight or nine years old. This would be much more user friendly than what we currently use.”

At the board’s Jan. 27 meeting, Tenamore and WACS secondary Principal Corey Markham gave a presentation on how Apptegy of Little Rock, Arkansas could provide the district with a single place to share messages and information. “I’m here today to compare apples with apples,” Tenamore said.

Both companies offer a “one click system” and enable the district to stay connected in every possible way, Tenamore said. Educators need to reach everyone with the single click of a button, he added.

Blackboard’s slogan is COPE — Create Once, Publish Everywhere, Tenamore said. This means a mass notification, such as school closings, emergencies, or process changes, would go out immediately through all communication channels.

Tenamore said that ultimately both applications can do the same thing. While Apptegy would cost the district more, the website would be done by a website developer and there would be automatic checks and balances. Blackboard would provide cost savings and the district is already familiar with it; however, the website would need to be designed by WACS personnel.

“From a development point of view, I like Apptegy,” Tenamore said. “It’s all gonna be a team decision at the end of the day.”

In another presentation, the board heard from CPSE/CSE Chairperson, Amy Webb on the district’s special education services. Webb updated the board on caseload and budget projections for both the current school year and 2020-2021.

Webb told the board that the overall caseload will remain pretty much the same. Projections for the 2020-2021 school year are 135 students for CSE (committee on special education), 14 students for CPSE (committee on preschool special education) and 60 students for Section 504. These figures are the same as the caseload for this year, she said.

Webb told board members that related services, which include speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling and nursing, are provided annually to WACS students.

All of these have increased from last year, Webb said. For example, speech therapy sessions increased from 2,456 to approximately 3,780 sessions this year, she said. “That is a lot of therapy, which is great,” she said.

Webb also outlined the preventative measures that the district offers, including speech improvement therapy to those who do not qualify for special education services, speech/language services and OT improvement for kindergarten and preschool classes.

Webb noted that WACS currently has two SCIC (special class in an integrated setting) full day classes with 12 students per class. Extended school year programming provided 35 students in grades k through 6 with six weeks of remediation. Elementary principal and Director of Special Education, Dr. Mary Rockey noted that “this is a cost neutral program.”

In other business, board president Steve Cockram presented two policies for the first reading by the board. Policy 6121, which deals with sexual harassment in the workplace, is mandated by New York State law, Cockram said. Basically the level of behavior that is deemed to be harassment has a much lower bar, he told the board.

Policy 7550, Dignity for All Students, is also required by the state and requires schools to provide a safe and supportive environment free from discrimination, intimidation, taunting, harassment, and bullying. Cockram said the second reading and final approval of the two policies will take place at the next board meeting.

In a related matter, the board of education approved the appointment of District Superintendent, Michael Cipolla, as a Title IX/Harassment Officer for the school district.

The Title IX Officer is responsible for ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all students, faculty, and staff members, whatever their gender and/or sexual orientation, throughout the district.