By Staff
Mitch Freeman Madison County Record
Each Madison school will be getting a defibrillator and training to use the devices in emergency medical situations.
Bob Jones High School will get two of the devices, each of which cost $2,098, for nine defibrillators at a total of $18,882. They will be placed on school walls for easy access.
"This defibrillator is idiot proof," Bill Holtzclaw, Crisis Action Training of Madison, said.
Holtzclaw conducted a brief demonstration before the board during its regular meeting May 1. The automated defibrillator asks questions and provides verbal instruction to the user, based on the status of the person the device is being used on.
The Early Childhood/Elementary Special Needs Summer Program will available for the fifth year, for preschool and elementary students with special needs. The program runs from June 2 – 6 and June 23 – 27 from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday through Friday at Heritage Elementary. Three teachers and three paraprofessionals will be assigned for an expected enrollment of less than 20 students. The program is literature based with emphasis on communication development.
Students can attend full or part time. Tuition is $200 for an entire session or $15 per day, plus $400 for materials and supplies. A weekly field trip is included.
The board approved the Developmental Summer School Program, for middle and high school developmentally delayed students. This program will be held at Bob Jones High School June 2 – 13 and June 23 – 27 from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. The program focuses on functional living skills like cooking, grocery shopping and personal hygiene. Tuition will be $66.77 per week, plus $300 for craft and cooking supplies, etc. There will be a weekly field trip.
A list of some 30 career technical textbooks was approved, which cover a variety of curriculum including the use of a number of computer software applications, auto fundamentals, welding and health occupations.
P &G Construction Company, Inc. will handle interior renovations for Bob Jones High School. Their low bid to do the work was $107,835. Pearce Construction was awarded a construction project related to the multipurpose stadium being constructed off Madison Blvd. on Celtic Drive. For their low bid of $1,415,154, north and south locker/restroom buildings will be built. The board declined to accept a bid of $282,641 submitted by Pearce Construction to add a concessions/restrooms building on the north end of the stadium. Superintendent Dr. Henry Clark said he did not feel a need, relative to the cost and advised the board that a limited concessions area could be set up in the north locker/restroom building.
A tributary that feeds into Mill Creek, at Bob Jones High School will be moved at a cost $14,900. Dr. Dee Fowler, director of administration said the move is being made in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to ensure that the environment is correctly recreated. This is related to the athletic fields and parking lots project.
Director of finance Mike Weaver presented the March 2003 financial statement for board approval, which the board approved. The school system's capital projects budget was amended to include an increase of $1,830,278.10. proceeds from insurance payment accounted for $1,004,943.10. An additional $825,335 was moved into the budget for contingencies related to the multipurpose stadium construction.
A concerned parent, whose child has diabetes, raised a question as to how the school system plans to deal with medical issues related to diabetes. Superintendent Clark said that if a student requires that glucagons be administered, there will be a RN or LPN placed at the school.
"We're looking at what other systems are doing. We're going to follow federal guidelines," Clark said.