2 New Members Selected For Sulphur Springs ISD Concussion Oversight Team
A new access system for Sulphur Springs Elementary, an amended TASB agreement, changes to the concussion oversight team and election services for the bond election were approved by Sulphur Springs Independent School District Board of Trustees at the regular meeting earlier this week.
Access Control
Sulphur Springs ISD Maintenance Director Dan Froneberger reminded the school board that the district has been slowly replacing access controls at each campus. Currently, Sulphur Springs Elementary, Austin Academic Center and the Administration Building are still in need of upgrades. SSES is scheduled for a new access control this year. The funding for the upgrade is in the budget.
Froneberger recommended going with the $69.946.24 proposal from Allied Universal, the company that supplied all of the new equipment and upgrades to the district in the last five years and their components can be interchanged with those at all of the schools.
The maintenance director said the work can be completed as soon as Allied can mobilize and get to the school. All of the wiring is there, the control system just needs to be replaced. The work is unobtrusive and can be performed while school is in session.
The board opted to follow Froneberger’s recommendation to use the budgeted funding to hire Allied Universal to replace the access control system at SSES.
Concussion Oversight Team
Assistant Superintendent Josh Williams submitted to the school board on behalf of Tammy Carrell recommendations to replace two members of the Concussion Oversight Team.
Texas Education Code 38.15(a) stipulates that school districts whose students participate in interscholastic athletic activity must have a Concussion Oversight Team, which includes at least one physician as well as one or more athletic trainer, advanced practice nurse, neuropsychologist or physician assistant. If the district has an athletic trainer, that trainer must be on the concussion oversight team.
Members must have training to evaluate, treat and oversee concussions at the time of appointment or approval as a team member. Each member must also take a training course at least once every two years and submit proof of timely completion to the superintendent or designee, per TEC 38.158 and 38.154.
Carrell recommended that Dewayne McMeans, who is retiring, be removed from the team and replaced with Mike Meador, and that Dr. IL Balkcom, who has moved his practice to another town, be replaced with Dr. Chris Meltsakos, CHRISTUS Orthopedic Surgeon.
The board agreed to remove McMeans and Balkcom and to add Meador and Meltsakos to the team.
The Concussion Oversight Team now consists of Athletic Trainer Tammy Carrell; Athletic Facility Manager Mike Meador as school representative and Meltsakos as physician.
Election Services
SSISD Elections Officer Sandra Gibby presented for board approval at the April 11 meeting a contract with Hopkins County for election services for the May 7, 2022 SSISD bond election.
Gibby said the total for fees for contracting for voting equipment to host the election won’t be known until after the election. The contract outlines which duties and responsibility each entity is responsible for.
Costs will include for the voting center used, paper ballots to be ordered, election kits, programming costs which will come from the vendor via invoice, rental of county owned voting equipment (13 controllers for the judge’s election booth, 14 access touch disabled access units, 50 electronic voting machines and one scanner for absentee ballots sent via mail.
The board approved the contract along with shared fees to conduct an election for the $93 million bond proposal. Also on the ballot with be 2 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution.
Sulphur Springs voters will have the opportunity to cast ballots in person in the May 7 election from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 25-May 3, with extended hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 26, April 28, as well as from noon to 5 p.m. May 1, in the early voting center, located in the Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Courtroom, inside the Hopkins County Annex Building at 128 Suit G Jefferson St. Election Day voting will be conducted from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 7 at the six consolidated voting locations: Sulphur Springs Middle School, Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 Courtroom, First Floor Courtroom at Hopkins County Courthouse, West Hall at Hopkins County Civic Center, Meeting Room inside Cumby Municipal Building (City Hall) and Como-Pickton CISD Art Room.
A Town Hall Meeting will be conducted at 7 p.m. Monday, April 18, 2022, in the board room inside SSISD Administration Building, 631 Connally St. Superintendent Michael Lamb will present information and answer questions from community members about the bond election and what the funding would be used for.
Other Business
The school trustees also approved the amended interlocal participation agreement with TASB Risk Management Fund for unemployment services. The contract was last changed in 2012. This is the first time the agreement has really been updated since 2012. The main changes, according to SSISD Business Manager Sherry McGraw are that it’s a more wordy document, and outlines more thoroughly how a dispute. The agreement provides lawyers the district can work with.
Minutes of the March 7 board meeting and the consent agenda, items considered routine by the board and enacted under one motion, were also approved by trustees. The consent agenda included tax credits and supplements, delinquent tax collections, and financial statements and bills payable for March 2022; and the quarterly investment report for the three months ending Feb. 28, 2022.
