Greg Hawkins, Superintendent of the Fall River Joint Unified School District, gave special recognition and thanks to the members of the Board of Trustee at the January Board Meeting held at the District Office on January 10.
School Board members Randy Oller, John Hamilton, Cindy Ronquist, Teri Vigil, and Ignacio Venegas
Honored for their service were John Hamilton who has served on the Board for 5 years, Ignacio Venegas, who has served for 8 years, Cindy Ronquist who has served for 10 years, Randy Oller, who has served for 12 years, and current Board President Teri Vigil, who has served for 17 years.
The Board Members were honored as part of January California School Boards Association Recognition Month. California has more than 5,100 school board members.
Hawkins read a short statement provided by CSBA:
In addition to overseeing the educational quality at school districts and county boards of education, these trustees also take on a range of duties away from the classroom. This includes decision-making and direction of budgets, staffing, facilities upkeep and development, food services for kindergartners through high schoolers, sports programs and many other issues. Such concerns are discussed at board meetings that often run late into the night, with intense feedback from the community and scrutiny from the media. Meanwhile, many trustees – 41% according to a recent California School Board Association Survey – have an additional full time job. Serving as a school board member is not a relaxing hobby or an easy pastime. It’s a labor of love for those who see schools as the cornerstone of our society’s future.
After the recognition, the Board held its monthly meeting. Amongst other items on the consent agenda, the Board voted to receive the following donations which had been made during the month:
- For Fall River Elementary
$35 from Intermountain Cattlewoman
$200 from PG&E Company Employee Giving – B. Hendrix and Anonymous
$360 from PG&E Company Giving – T. Young and J. Barcellona
- For Burney High School
$300 from American Legion Post #441 for the Music Department
- For Burney Elementary School
$1680 from Redding Rancheria Community Fund for “Creating a Culture of Reading”
Under New Business, one of the items discussed was the approval of an Active Shooter Emergency Response Plan for the District. The State of California has mandated that every school district have such a plan. Final details of the plan are still being developed. The central idea of the new plan involves a shift from shutting down the school and “hunkering down” to a threefold strategy of “run, hide, and fight (if necessary).” This was a first reading of the plan. There will be a second reading at the next board meeting. The Board plans to invite representatives of local law enforcement to the next meeting to ensure that there will be coordination and common understanding between the district and law enforcement.
Another item was the approval of board policy concerning firearms on school grounds. Hawkins explained to the Board that the passage of AB 424 deleted the authority of a school district superintendent, his or her designee, or equivalent school authority to provide written permission for a person to possess a firearm within a school zone. The board will need to adjust it’s policy accordingly.
As part of his report on Burney High School, Blain Marks, the Student Representative to the Board, told the Board that five members of the Interact Club will be going to Mexico this month as part of a service project sponsored by Rotary International.
Pit River Country 