Minutes 09-24-2020 Virtual Joint Meeting w-Schools

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4 Sherita Cobb said OCS has been working diligently on food insecurities, and as of September 22, Orange County Schools had given out 204,892 breakfast and lunch combinations, and 35,441 supplemental food boxes to OCS students. She said 13 different sites have been used since March to be able to give out those food items. She said the district continues the backpack buddies, which provides food support for weekend meals. She said OCS has -120 homeless (McKinney-Vento) students. She said these students are supported with food boxes and other food/housing programs. She said OCS is very thankful to have school nurses in every school. She said the nurses are working on contact tracing, preparing isolation rooms, training and support, protocol and procedures for getting children back into school. She said OCS is proposing to create a School Safety Task Force, which would focus on several issues including school resource officers (SRO). She said SROs have been in OCS since 1992, and the District works with the Orange County Sheriff's office on many issues, including a variety of training. She said OCS and the Sheriff are looking at the memorandum of understanding to insure that this partnership is the most effective that it can be. Commissioner McKee thanked County staff for finding funding for additional hotspots, and said there was a backlog in OCS, and a small need in CHCCS. He said he petitioned the County to pick up the cost of this need, and asked if the County would form a task force to look into this issue. He said there are families with no service, and hotspots will not help. He said 600 hotspots are still needed, and asked if more hotspots will be needed. Dr. Monique Felder said the district is finding the needs continue to mount, as many family circumstances are changing, as well as staff requesting hotspots. She said many families need multiple hotspots, as one is not enough to support a family. Commissioner Dorosin thanked OCS for a great presentation. He said each district will make its own decision around School Resource Officers. He asked if the taskforce could be comprised of interlocking membership, so that three groups are not working in silos on the same issue. He said he would like to see where there are differences and similarities, and begin to reconcile issues. Dr. Monique Felder said OCS could consider looking at that proposal. She said there are areas of overlap, as well as unique areas for each district. Chair Rich said the Commissioners have been working on broadband for years. She said the lack of success is not due to a lack of priority, but rather the state legislature is the hold up. She said until broadband is a utility, and available to every single person who wants it, the BOCC's hands are tied. She said this issue is not new and the Commissioners understand the disparities. She said it has proved hard to make progress over the past four years. Commissioner Price said she appreciated the work with homeless students, and asked if the situation is getting worse. Dr. Monique Felder said she will defer to Sherita Cobb to answer, but the district is finding that families are coming together to live in the same dwelling. Sherita Cobb said the district has lost a few students, but several homeless students have doubled up with friends and families to try and remain in the area. Commissioner Price asked if OCS is currently working with the Eviction Diversion program in the County. Sherita Cobb said yes, the district's social workers utilize that program. Commissioner McKee echoed Chair Rich's comments as far as broadband. He said he is tired of waiting and expecting the same results. He said the petition that was brought forward has a $30 million dollar price tag. He said this is not a short-term solution. He said he was not