June 9, 2025 at 7:00 PM - Harrah Board of Education Regular Meeting

Discussion: 
Others Present: Paul Blessington, Superintendent, and Leslie Hobaugh, Minutes Clerk

Visitors Present: Susie Terrell, David Hairell, Mike McAfee, Megan Marshall, and Troy Marshall. Others may have been present but did not sign the register, or the signatures were unreadable. 

Discussion:  Policy FNG - Personal Electronic Devices has been revised.  The disciplinary actions regarding this policy can be found in each site's Student Handbook.

Discussion:  The Elementary Sites Handbook added:

ELECTRONIC DEVICES/CELL PHONES  FOR CLARA REYNOLDS ELEMENTARY and RUSSELL BABB ELEMENTARY Students are not permitted to have radios, tape players, headsets, iPods, video cameras, laser devices, electronic games, MP3 players, iPads, Nintendo Switches and or any other electronic devices on campus during the school day. Students shall keep any cell phones and smart watches turned off and in their backpacks upon arrival at school and throughout the school day. Cell phone restrictions will be administered on a case-by-case basis. VIOLATIONS - First violation: Warning given to student and parents. Second violation: Warning given to student and parent with the loss of recess. Third violation: Confiscation of the phone/electronic device, parents must pick up the phone/electronic device, and loss of recess privileges. Ongoing cell phone/electronic violations may result in suspension from school. 

Harrah Middle School and Harrah High School Handbooks added :

Policy to meet state law CELL PHONES AND PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES Appropriate use of Electronic Devices: Per Oklahoma Senate Bill 139, paragraph B.1., signed by Governor Kevin Stitt: For the 2025-2026 school year, each school district board of education shall adopt a policy prohibiting students from using cell phones and personal electronic devices while on the campus of a public school district from bell to bell. The policy shall include disciplinary procedures for violations. Personal electronic devices are defined in Oklahoma Senate Bill 139, paragraph A.2. "Personal electronic device" means a personal device capable of connecting to a smartphone, the Internet, or a cellular or Wi-Fi network, or directly connecting to another similar device. Personal electronic devices include, but are not limited to, smart watches, smart headphones, laptops, tablets, and smart glasses. Personal electronic devices shall not include school-issued or school-approved devices that are specifically limited for use in classroom instruction. The only school-approved personal electronic devices will be school-issued Chromebooks or personal Chromebooks/laptops. Using a school-approved device for any activity not associated with classroom instruction will result in disciplinary action. For the purposes of this policy, the 7:40 am tutorial bell signals the start of the school day, and unapproved personal electronic devices must be turned off and put away. The 3:10 pm dismissal bell is the end of the school day. Between 7:40 am and 3:10 pm, unapproved personal electronic devices are not to be kept on one’s person. Those devices should be powered off and kept out of sight. This means a student cannot keep their unapproved personal electronic device on their person. Those devices should be kept in the student’s vehicle, personal backpack, bag, purse, student locker, or left at home. Students who use their cell phone to monitor their blood sugar levels are authorized to keep them on their person and powered on throughout the day. Using their cell phone outside the scope of this authorization will result in disciplinary action. Violations of this policy are, but not limited to: Keeping an unapproved personal electronic device on one’s person, Using of an unapproved personal electronic device, and any indication that the device is not powered off Disciplinary actions:  1st Offense - One-day suspension, 2nd Offense - Three days in ISR, 3rd Offense - Three-day suspension, 4th Offense - Five days in ISR, 5th Offense - Five-day suspension, 6th Offense - Ten days in ISR, 7th Offense - Long-term suspension or change of placement.

Harrah High School is also implementing the following:

HARRAH HIGH SCHOOL ID BADGE POLICY To enhance school safety, streamline campus operations, and comply with grant-funded security measures, Harrah High School requires all students and staff to wear their school-issued identification badges visibly and above the waist at all times during the school day. ID badges are also required to charge breakfast and lunch purchases in the cafeteria. This policy goes into effect upon the issuance of ID badges to students and staff. Failure to wear an ID badge visibly during the school day will result in the following graduated disciplinary consequences: First Offense - The student must report to the main office to request a printed temporary ID, which must be worn for the remainder of the school day. Second Offense - One (1) day of In-School Restriction (ISR) and the required wearing of a temporary printed ID. Third Offense - Three (3) days of ISR and the required wearing of a temporary printed ID.  Fourth Offense - Five (5) days of ISR and the required wearing of a temporary printed ID. Fifth Offense - Ten (10) days of ISR and the required wearing of a temporary printed ID.  Subsequent Offenses - Out-of-school suspension and further disciplinary review. Temporary printed IDs must be disposed of in a trash receptacle at the end of the school day. They are not to be placed on school or personal property. Exemptions: Students and staff are not required to wear ID badges during extracurricular activities, athletic practices, or events where wearing a badge may interfere with the activity or pose a safety risk. In such cases, badges should be secured in a personal bag or locker and worn again once the regular school day resumes. To avoid disciplinary action, students who have lost or damaged their ID may report to the library during the tutorial bell to request a reprint. Replacement badges cost $5 and are limited to two reprints per school year. Compliance with this policy is critical to maintaining a secure and well-functioning school environment. Thank you for making visible identification a consistent part of our commitment to school safety at Harrah High School.
 

Discussion:  The only change in the handbook is under the heading, Changing of Sports. Athletes who choose to leave a team during the season or have been dismissed from the team for academic or disciplinary reasons will not be allowed to change to another sport until the end of the season.

Discussion:  We purchased new textbooks; therefore, we need to surplus the old textbooks. The district has library books, furniture, and a couple of vehicles at the bus barn that are on the surplus list, too.

Discussion:  Guy Worth, Athletic Director, added a stipend for Pom.  Pom was left off the list that was approved last month regarding the sports that are eligible to receive a Summer stipend.  The Summer activity schedules for pom, softball, and wrestling were also presented to the board tonight because they were not included in the packet last month.

Discussion:  Mr. Blessington will contact the board once a meeting date and time are set regarding having a special board meeting this month to interview potential construction management companies.

Discussion:  The meeting adjourned at 8:35 p.m.