The Moniteau County R-1 School District Board of Education met May 20 to make decisions on how to proceed with California High School's senior graduation this week.
The Board made the decision to proceed with in-person Baccalaureate and graduation ceremonies earlier this month, with Baccalaureate set to take place at 7 p.m May 28 and graduation set for 10 a.m. May 30, both at Riley Field.
CHS principal Sean Kirksey said he believes they have a good set up for graduation to keep students and guests safe. When it comes to interacting with the students, Kirksey and the board decided a board member will hand a student their diploma and take a picture with them with no handshake. If students feel uncomfortable with that, they are able to pick up their own diploma and take a photo on their own. Kirksey said he will ask for the students' preferences at rehearsal.
Graduation ceremonies can be viewed live on Lake TV on CoMo Connect Channel 90, on the Lake TV Roku channel, or online at www.mylaketv.com or the school district web page at www.californiak12.org. The broadcasts begin 15 minutes prior to ceremony time.
With COVID-19, summer school has been pushed back to take place July 6-31. The school district will work to disseminate registration and enrollment forms to students. The Board said it'll look different than years past, with an every other day schedule at the middle and high school, and a split of 10 days of face-to-face instruction and 10 days of virtual instruction at the elementary school.
The Missouri State High School Activities Association announced last month that athletic eligibility will be extended into the summer for students who lost the season due to the pandemic. The Board decided coaches can't have practice time with their players until June 1, with precautions in place to keep everyone safe. They will also allow outside groups use the school's facilities at the same time.
Superintendent Dwight Sanders also talked about the district's contract with Durham School Services, with the potential to extend the current contract year-by-year. He then moved into talking about the various projects that will be happening around the schools to get letters of intent to those companies. For the security camera upgrades at the elementary and high schools, the board will give a letter of intent to NetWatch. Fisher Tracks will get a letter of intent for the resurfacing of the track. As for the elementary gym floor replacement, Charles Luebbert Hardwoods Floors Inc. will get the letter of intent. Septagon Construction will get the letter of intent for the high school parking lot replacement. For the high school roof replacement, the board will wait until the next meeting to get more bids.
The Moniteau County R-1 School District Board of Education will meet again June 8.