At the start of the meeting the board recognized recipients of the student performance awards and invited winners to the front for certificates and photos.

Student body president Trinity Victor updated trustees on academics and student activities, including four students competing in an international math competition, career day planned for Nov. 21 and athletics highlights such as volleyball finishing fourth in state and cross-country qualifiers. “My name is Trinity Victor ... I’m student body president,” Victor introduced herself and encouraged community attendance at upcoming events.

Certified staff reported the district is short on substitute teachers and paraprofessionals, a staffing gap that sometimes forces parapros to cover classes rather than provide in-class support; staff asked qualified local residents to consider applying.

Elementary counselor Stephanie Brown and the superintendent presented a district-wide "Stand Up to Bullying" program. Brown introduced a video produced for the day and described upgraded reporting protocols for bullying; the video included students describing how to report bullying and a pledge to "be a buddy, not a bully". Brown said the initiative is districtwide and staff will share the video with families. Stephanie Brown said, “It is October 6, and today, we are standing up to bullying,” in the video.

Superintendent Terry Martin reviewed operational metrics: the district’s monthly attendance average was reported at about 90.5%; elementary conference attendance was in the high 90 percents, while junior high and high school conference attendance was lower. The superintendent also described community efforts addressing food insecurity, noting business commitments amounting to about $15,000 and volunteer shortfalls at rural food banks that have reduced weekly distributions by approximately 1,500 pounds. Martin said the Lynn Benton Food Share can acquire and distribute five meals for every dollar donated.

The board heard the superintendent’s monthly update on school safety and incidents, including five employee incidents and 45 student incidents across sites; the district reported 20 peer-to-peer reports, with one founded bullying determination to date.

Next steps and community asks: the district requested community help to fill substitute/paraprofessional openings, encouraged attendance at student events, and said staff will share materials from the bullying-prevention work with families.