Bartlesville Radio: The area’s best source for news, weather and sports!

The Bartlesville Board of Education held a zoom meeting on Wednesday afternoon after State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister made the decision that schools in Oklahoma should finish the semester through distance learning.

During the meeting, the Board considered a resolution granting temporary emergency powers to Superintendent Chuck McCauley during the COVID-19 State of Emergency. Stephanie Curtis, the Executive Director of Personnel & School Support, said as far as she was concerned, this would give Superintendent McCauley the authority to take action without calling for a Special Board of Education meeting.

The Board approved the item. The temporary powers include, but are not limited to the following:

• Authority to temporarily waive such Board policies or provisions of Board policies as the Superintendent shall deem necessary to comply with guidance from appropriate health or governmental authorities or necessary for other effective response, provided such action is consistent with all applicable State and Federal laws.
• Authority to take any lawful actions necessary to ensure the continuation of public education, to provide for the health and safety of students and employees, or to respond to direction from appropriate health and government authorities. Such actions may include, but are not limited to: adjustments to the curriculum and the provision of alternative educational program options; adjustments to employee work schedules and assignments; modifications to the school calendar; adjustments to the delivery of school-provided meals; limitations on access to property owned or controlled by the Board of Education; applying to any governmental body for financial or other aid as may be available; and applying to any governmental body for waiver of regulations or requirements, compliance with which is affected by the COVID-19 emergency, provided such action is consistent with all applicable State and Federal laws.
• Authority to enter into contracts without prior Board approval for any dollar amount necessary for the purchase of materials, equipment, supplies, or services for sanitation, cleaning, technology, or other needs directly related to the COVID-19 emergency situation, provided such action is consistent with all applicable State and Federal laws.

Also in the meeting, the Board approved to rescind the part of the previous election resolution adopted by the Board of Education on Oct. 21st, calling a general election for Tuesday, April 7th and rescheduling the election for Tuesday, June 30th. This election was for several seats on the Bartlesville Board of Education.

Teleconferencing / videoconferencing regulations were approved by the Board as well. Curtis brought this item before the Board, and said that the public will still be informed as to when meetings will take place. She said you will be able to participate in the meetings as well.

Agendas will be posted on the district’s website at bps-ok.org/home/district/boardofeducation and at the principal office of the school district in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act.

The Board is not required to make the notice of the meeting available to the public in the principal office of the district or at the location of the meeting during normal business hours. The notice and agenda shall also include the identity of the member or members who will be physically present at the meeting site, if any.

The meeting notice and agenda shall indicate if the meeting will include teleconferencing or videoconferencing. The notice and agenda shall also indicate each member of the Board who will be appearing remotely and whether the member will be attending via videoconference or teleconference.

After the meeting notice and agenda are prepared and posted as required by law, members of the board cannot alter their method of appearance unless a member who was planning to attend remotely would like to physically appear at the meeting site.

Any materials that will be shared electronically between members of the Board of Education during a meeting utilizing teleconferencing or videoconferencing shall be immediately available to the public in the same form shared with the members of the public body. The only exception to this would be any documents that are shared in a lawfully convened executive session under an appropriately worded agenda item.

All votes of the Board will be via roll call vote and shall be recorded in the minutes.

The board of education can conduct an executive session utilizing teleconference or videoconference.

The meeting notice and agenda shall indicate if the executive session will include teleconferencing or videoconferencing. The notice and agenda shall also state:

• The identity of each member appearing remotely,
• The method of each member’s remote appearance,
• And whether any member will be physically present at the meeting site, if any, for the executive session.

The public meeting held by videoconference or teleconference shall be recorded either by written, electronic, or other means.

Until November 15th, 2020 or the Governor declaring the state of emergency to be terminated, whichever comes first, the board of education may hold meetings by either teleconference or videoconference if each member of the school board is audible or visible to each other and the public. If at any time the audio connection is disconnected, the meeting shall be stopped and reconvened once the audio connection is restored.

Click below to hear from Superintendent Chuck McCauley who addressed more matters pertaining to school topics during a Community Connection on KWON AM 1400 and FM 93.3.