The Manchester Board of School Committee (BOSC) is set to meet on Monday, March 22. Here’s some of what they’re expected to discuss.
Special Meeting for Donation Feedback
The regularly scheduled meeting will be preceded by a special meeting at 5:55 p.m. to receive any feedback regarding a $14,000 book donation from Scholastic’s Jerry Pallotta. If accepted, a district-wide author study will be held immersing students in Pallotta’s “Who Would Win” books, which pit animals against each other in hypothetical fights.
Anyone interested in commenting can e-mail publiccomment@mansd.org before 5 p.m. on Monday. All comments must be less than 400 words.
The regularly scheduled meeting will begin at 6 p.m. or whenever public comment from the special meeting concludes.
COVID Update
According to Manchester School District (MANSD) Superintendent Dr. John Goldhardt and Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Gillis, approximately 58 percent of MANSD staff participated in vaccination efforts at Manchester Memorial High School last Friday and Saturday.
Additionally, according to a voluntary survey concluded on March 18, an additional 30 percent of MANSD staff say they have either been fully vaccinated or received the first of multiple vaccination shots so far.
Voluntary COVID-19 testing efforts in coordination with the University of New Hampshire are also underway, with 70 MANSD staff members participating last week and 29 more scheduled to participate.
If all 99 MANSD members end up participating, the cost to the district would be $18,562.50.
New Fire Drill Policy
Within the consent agenda, three new policy updates have been recommended by the BOSC’s Policy Committee, including an update to fire drills that will prepare for much more than fires.
Under the rules of the New Hampshire Department of Safety, each school is required to hold at least one fire drill per month when school is in session. However, under a state law passed in 2019, schools must now designate four of those drills to respond to generic hazards rather than just fire and have at least one of those drills respond to a simulated active shooter.
The March 9 BOSC Policy Committee discussion of the first reading of fire drill update and the other two policy updates can be seen here, beginning at 24:44 and ending at 41:16.
