Agenda - 11-05-20; 8-a - Minutes

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5 has a $30 million dollar price tag. He said this is not a short-term solution. He said he was not 1 aware of data caps on school service plans, and he asked if carriers are putting throttling in 2 place. 3 Dr. Kathleen Dawson said OCS’s plan with Verizon is for unlimited data, and no 4 throttling. 5 Commissioner McKee applauded the District’s ability to open learning centers. He 6 asked if the District has considered opening school libraries. 7 Dr. Monique Felder said OCS opened school cafeterias. 8 Commissioner McKee asked if an update could be given on both districts’ unallocated 9 fund balance. 10 Chair Rich said to wait until the budget portion of the meeting for this question. 11 Commissioner McKee agreed with Commissioner Dorosin that the conversations 12 regarding SROs should involve both districts, and asked if OCS is interested in defunding this 13 program, which has historically been quite successful in OCS. 14 Hillary MacKenzie said the focus of the taskforce was not a specific goal. She said OCS 15 is taking this moment to assess this program, including the lived experiences of students and 16 faculty. She said Sheriff Blackwood is in agreement with this assessment. 17 Commissioner McKee asked if defunding SROs has been considered. 18 Hillary MacKenzie said not that she was aware. 19 Commissioner McKee said he lives in northern Orange County, and knows many, many 20 residents there are very supportive of SROs in the schools. 21 Commissioner Bedford asked if OCS has access to testing, and if the district is relying 22 on temperature testing or parent reporting to keep track of children. 23 Melany Stowe said the District is working with the Orange County Health Department 24 and other stakeholders. She said all NCDHHS guidelines are being followed, including signage 25 and assessment forms. She said a student cannot participate in any way if they have 26 symptoms of any kind, or have been exposed to someone with symptoms of any kind. 27 Bonnie Hauser said she appreciates the County’s efforts regarding Internet access. She 28 said there are over 5,000 families who do not have access to broadband, and the hotspots 29 program has made a huge difference. She said more students could be reached with more 30 tower infrastructure. 31 Chair Rich introduced Dr. Jim Causby. 32 Dr. Jim Causby said both districts are two of the best. He said CHCCS is currently 33 committed to virtual learning for the first semester; however, this is periodically reviewed. He 34 said he was surprised at the Governor allowing K-5 schools to move back to in-person learning. 35 He said he received many emails about not returning to in-person learning, and only 2 in favor 36 of it. He said CHCCS is monitoring the metrics to follow the CDC’s guidelines and advice from 37 ABC science collaborative. 38 Dr. Jim Causby said, at this time, he would not recommend plan A, and plan B would 39 take some work to be ready. He said the virtual plan is not perfect, but the Chapel Hill Carrboro 40 City Schools has much to be proud of. He said the youngest students are having the hardest 41 time with virtual learning, as well as those students requiring adaptive curriculums. He said 42 families with young children are a priority for the district, as well as finding childcare. He said 43 the CHCCS Board will look at this issue again in early October. 44 Dr. Jim Causby said CHCCS has two scholastic learning centers in partnership with the 45 YMCA, and CHCCS has tried to keep students out of the school buildings. He said there are 46 about 100 students involved, with a 1:10 staff to student ratio. He said temperatures are 47