By: Suzie Glassman/Newsbreak Denver
(Castle Rock, CO) DougCo school board meetings have been anything but drab these past few months. Emotional public comments regarding the firing of former superintendent Corey Wise, choosing a new superintendent, and rumored school closings have kept the meetings going late into the night.
Tuesday night’s school board meeting is likely to be the same. The agenda includes everything from administering a life-saving anti-opiate drug called Narcan to reviewing new charter school applications and approving three new textbooks.
The board will also identify its lead counsel for the lawsuit filed by Highlands Ranch resident Robert Marshall that alleges the board violated Colorado’s opening meetings law.
Public comments begin at 7:35 p.m.
Narcan update
Naloxone (Narcan) is an anti-opiate antagonist that, when injected, reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can save a person’s life.
Tonight’s presentation notes opioid drug abuse affects the entire community, and schools can help increase access to Narcan.
“Naloxone is 100% safe, with no side effects, and no adverse reactions if given when it’s not needed”, according to the district.
All pre-K-12 school health offices will store by August 2022.
3 Charter School applicants seek approval
The board will review three charter school applicants: Novastar Academy, STEM School Sterling Ranch, and Leman Classical Academy.
The Colorado Department of Education Charter Schools Act allows school boards to review charter school applications annually. There will be a 10-minute Q&A after each session.
The DougCo board will approve or deny each application by June 7. Charter schools are tuition-free public schools open to all students.
Novastar Academy
Novastar Academy says its mission is to unlock every child's "unique destiny" by providing a "truly personalized education filled with meaningful learning experiences, effective strategies for learning, and tools to empower academic and personal growth."
The school uses a project-based curriculum covering Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math.
The goal is for each student to graduate with a "Career Technical Certification validated by IMS Global Consortium and a Seal of Biliteracy validated by the Colorado Department of Education."
Novastar serves grades Pre-K-12 and proposes to open in summer 2023 at 367 Inverness Parkway, Englewood, Colorado 80112.
STEM School Sterling Ranch
STEM School Sterling Ranch hopes to gain approval based on replicating its flagship school in Highlands Ranch.
The school's mission is to "never stop innovating." It uses a problem-based learning approach, where students "grapple with real-world issues and challenges, and learn academic content in part by applying their ingenuity to problems they face in the real world."
According to the application, STEM School Sterling Ranch will open for grades K-3 and expand to K-12 as demand increases.
The school plans to open in the Sterling Ranch home community near Littleton and Highlands Ranch.
The application does not provide a proposed opening date.
Leman Classical Academy
Leman Classical Academy wants to replicate its current Leman Academy of Excellence location in Parker. If the application is approved, the K-8 school plans to open in 2024.
According to the school website, Leman offers a rigorous classical education "built on a three-fold approach called the Trivium.
The three foundational academic categories are grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Most importantly, the Trivium corresponds to the three basic stages of a developing child."
Lead counsel identification
The board will announce which law firm will serve as lead counsel in its defense of a lawsuit filed by Robert Marshall.
The suit claims the board's four majority members violated Colorado's open meeting laws when they fired former superintendent Corey Wise.
Initially, the district and board members, Mike Peterson, Rebecca Myers, Kaylee Winegar, and Christy Williams, hired Hall and Evans to represent them with the understanding that insurance would pay for their defense.
When the board's insurance company refused to cover the expense, the district retained Gessler Blue, LLC, the law firm of former secretary of state Scott Gessler, to also represent their interests.
According to the board agenda, identifying lead counsel will “ensure clear communications to the board about the lawsuit.”
Adopting textbooks
The board will approve three new textbooks, two of which teach health and wellness for use in the district. According to board policy, each book underwent an approval process, and public comments were allowed on the board website.
The textbooks are "Essential Health Skills for Middle School," "Health and Wellness" for K-5, and “StudySync,” a language-arts textbook for 6th-8th grades.
Other items
Tuesday’s agenda also includes an update on the district's financial health, a Mill Bond Exploratory Ad Hoc Committee presentation, plus approval of personnel changes and various contracts.
The board will also recognize the 2022 Daniels Scholars.
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