Therapists may be on call for Cloverdale

Tuesday, May 9, 2006

Lisa Bishop said she just wants to make things easier for Cloverdale High School administrators.

On Monday, representatives from Cummins Behavioral Health Systems paid a visit to the Cloverdale Community School Board, offering the corporation the chance to have on-site therapists for students dealing with emotional problems.

"It's a convenience thing for the school to have someone there," Bishop told board members. "And the teachers know me. The kids value it."

Bishop -- one of three Cummins Health representatives at Monday's meeting -- works with students at Cloverdale among other areas schools.

The health service offered to set up a site at the school for services to make it easier for students and their parents.

"We feel like it's very needed," Cloverdale Assistant Principal Sonny Stoltz said.

Cummins representative Eric Ward said other schools in the state have taken advantage of the program.

Fellow Cummins representative Kim Retzner said it would be easier for students to have a program within the school and it would be similar to the out-patient service the health service provides.

"It gives us a chance to see what's happening in the school setting," Retzner said. "It an out-patient office, it's more phone tag."

The Cummins officials said using the service would increase communication between the health provider and the corporation. In addition, there would be no additional cost for the corporation as the health provider would bill parents through private insurance, Medicare or a sliding-scale fee.

Retzner also said having an on-site therapist in addition to Bishop being there would reduce barriers to treatment.

Bishop already works with at least 15 students in the Cloverdale system at least once a week, but the new system would provide on-site coverage continually.

Retzner said the only contribution needed from the corporation would be office space and that would be needed "to work with the child in their best interest."

The board took no action on the proposal, opting to look further into it and hopefully make a decision at its June meeting.

In other news, the board:

-- Approved a donation of $30,000 for furnishings from Rob Lyons for the high school resource center. Lyons made the donation in the name of Adeline Knoy.

-- Approved by a 5-0 vote to approve the high school textbook adoption. However, board member Todd Whitlock expressed concern about the high school's choice of Web Design book before amending his motion.

Fellow board member Bobbi Nees also asked that community members be added to the textbook adoption committee in the future.

"I have addressed that before," Nees said.

-- Approved by a 5-0 vote the corporation's summer school programs. CCSC Supt. Carrie Milner told board members that the high school and elementary would offer at least four classes, with the high school set to attend its first session from June 1-27 and the elementary to attend from June 1-21. Milner added bus transportation would be available at six locations.

-- Approved minutes for the regular and executive sessions for April 10 by a 5-0 vote.

-- Approved claims and financial reports.

-- Approved by a 5-0 vote the second reading of the Student Wellness Policy.

-- Learned that elementary student Raeanna McFadden, middle school student Christopher Nees, and high school student Esta Cummings were named Students of the Month.

-- Heard an update on the corporation's second evacuation drill. The drill took place on April 14 and involved several agencies. The corporation set up a bomb threat scenario, moving high school students to the middle school.

"It was an effective drill," Milner told the board. "We were pleased with that."

-- Approved four facility use requests.

-- Approved five professional leave requests.

-- Approved seven field trip requests by a 4-1 vote. Whitlock expressed concern about students being taken in a teacher's car on a field trip and was not pleased that he didn't know about the trip, which took place on May 5. He asked that all field trip requests be made in advance.

"We need to get these before hand," Whitlock said.

-- Approved the resignation of middle school custodian Pat Miller.

-- Approved by a unanimous vote to allow Milner to make administrative appointments to personnel after Whitlock motioned that the request be for existing positions, not new positions.

-- Approved the employment of Scott Porter as boys' and girls' cross country coach and Gary Hall as volunteer assistant seventh- and eighth-grade baseball coach and a liaison with the Cloverdale Community Youth League by a 4-1 vote, with Nees voting no.

-- Approved extending Stoltz' contract by 15 hours.

-- Approved Harry Pruitt as full-time elementary custodian from part-time custodian.

-- Approved Shannon Plasters as full-time middle school custodian from part-time elementary and middle school custodian.

The board meets regularly on the second Monday of each month at the corporation office. Its next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., June 12.

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