Emery School Board accepts $22,320 swim timing donation as enrollment falls 6%

The Emery County School District Board of Education approved a donation of $22,320 from EmeryTelcom on Oct. 14 to replace the Emery High School swim team's timing equipment, according to draft minutes posted on the Utah Public Notice Website that the board has not yet approved. The minutes say the existing equipment was not working properly and the donation covers the timing system, touchpads and other accessories. The minutes record the motion as carried without a vote count. James Winn moved it and Royd Hatt seconded ^[1].

Superintendent James Shank reported that the official Oct. 1 count was 1,790 students, down from 1,905 the previous year, a decline of about 6 percent spread across all grades ^[1].

The board approved second reading of five policies on overtime, postpartum and parental leave, staff code of conduct, board meeting notice requirements and the basic instructional program. It approved first reading of nine more, covering school safety, revenue budgeting, procurement of construction, reporting student drug possession offenses, staff protection, bloodborne pathogens and an exposure control plan, professional staff evaluation, and compulsory and citizenship education. Those policies will be open for comment until the November meeting ^[1].

The board also approved out-of-state travel for six Emery High School students to attend an automotive competition in November, which the minutes say has been a positive experience for students for several years. It also approved winter activity schedules for Emery and Green River high schools and CVAA teams. It accepted the consent agenda, which included two new hires ^[1].

In a work session, the Utah Association of Counties presented how its services could help the board administer the sale of several building lots near the Castle Dale county swimming pool, including resources for developing housing aimed at the local workforce ^[1].

IT Supervisor Doug Johnson delivered the required data privacy and security risk analysis, telling the board that the district's firewall blocks about 550,000 external attempts per day, that employees are trained on cybersecurity annually, and that the district completed a cybersecurity penetration test. Elementary supervisor JR Jones presented beginning-of-year K-3 literacy results and the district's new individual reading plans, now required for students testing below benchmark. Assessment Director Yvonne Jensen said several schools exceeded the state average in proficiency ^[1].

The business administrator's report said summer capital projects were substantially complete, with the Green River High tennis court expected to be fully usable by the end of October, and Wayne Maxfield reported that trenching was finished on the transportation electrical project. The board held a closed session beginning at 8:50 p.m. to discuss collective bargaining and the character and competence of individuals, and adjourned at 9:55 p.m. ^[1].