Jackson School Board puts focus on student and staff wellness at meeting

Student and staff wellness was the focus of a Jackson School Board meeting Tuesday night.

Orchard Elementary nurse Joyce McIntosh described progress the district has made in setting up asthma or individual health-care action plans for students, completing vision and hearing screenings and enacting a dental health curriculum. The district received a $54,418 grant from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services this year, which pays the salaries of a nurse and social worker.

The district is focusing on health promotion for staff, through professional development, health screenings and exercise opportunities after school.

At the meeting, the board approved the 2008-2009 calendar. Students are scheduled to return Aug. 18 and finish May 21. There will not be a March spring break as there was this year. Instead, students will have April 9, 10 and 13 off. Six bad weather make-up days are built into the calendar: March 20, April 9 and 13, and May 22, 26 and 27.

The board set the non-resident tuition rate for next school year at $5,805, about $400 more than this year. Members also approved the application for a vocation-technical education enhancement grant to buy equipment for the business accounting department, including a printer, projector, camera, scanner and accounting software.

Finally, the board approved selling the district's former greenhouse building to Don and Donna Aufdenberg and Brett and Holly Schneider for $3,182. The owners will be responsible for the removal of the building to make way for construction at the high school. The former auto mechanics building was sold to Jeff Bollinger for $1,555.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123