By Donna Williamson
Opelika Observer
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Opelika City School Board of Education approved a request from OHS Principal Dr. Farrell Seymore to allow OHS to have delayed student start times of two hours on Sept. 15 and Nov. 17, 2015 and Jan. 19, Feb. 16 and March 15, 2016.
In a memorandum to the board, Seymore stated that the delayed start is needed so that OHS can offer teachers a regular, sustained opportunity to collaborate as a team in order to plan common assessment, curriculum, and instruction, as well as analyze student data and design student interventions. “Time-constraints, coaching duties, supervisory duties, and other obligations make before and after-school collaboration time nearly impossible,” Seymore stated in the memorandum.
Dr. Mark Neighbors, superintendent, said that students who choose to come to school at the regular time on these days may still do so and that breakfast, along with planned activities, will be available for these students.
Board members renewed contracts for the following principals: Joe Ross, Carver Primary School; Nino Mason, Morris Avenue School; Keith York, Opelika Middle School; and Farrell Seymore, Opelika High School.
In other business the board:
–Approved the bid of $21,539.20 from Contract Paper Group, Inc. of Uniontown, OH for copy paper for all Opelika schools.
–Approved the 2015 Budget Amendment Number Two
–Approved employments, transfers, and resignations.