EL board considers stocking overdose antidote

BY PAT FARNELLI
Correspondent

The Elk Lake School Board discussed last Wednesday the use of an antidote for heroin and opiate overdoses.

Naloxone – an antidote, administered as a nasal spray – has been recommended for emergency use, and the high school nurse is one of several staff
members trained in its use, said Superintendent Ken Cuomo. The medication blocks the effects of opioids on a person and reverses an overdose.

Opioids include heroin and prescription pain medications like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, methadone and Vicodin.

“If given to a person who has not taken opioids, it will not have any negative effect on him or her, since there is no opioid overdose to reverse,” Cuomo said.

A policy regarding the use of Narcan is being read and considered by the district. Staff training will be necessary and two doses of the medication would be obtained.

The district is changing its approach to summer school this year.

At the April 20 school board meeting, Superintendent Kenneth Cuomo explained some of those changes as the board approved posting three teaching positions for summer school.

“We are changing how we do summer school,” Cuomo said. “Now, it will be more of a summer academy, a hybrid summer program.”

Of the three teachers, the superintendent said there will be, “one English/Language Arts, one math, one science. This program has a lot more accountability built into it for the students.”

The “summer academy” will include both a Keystone Test remediation program, and also credit recovery for courses not passed during the previous school year.

“Math and science have online components that students can do at home and students will come to the school to work with a teacher once per week.
English and Language Arts students have books provided online for them to read, and they also come to school once a week to work with a teacher,” Cuomo explained.

The board granted permission to post for the summer school teaching positions.

The board also granted permission to post End of School Year special education program positions for the summer; another position may be
posted later.

Director of Special Education Pamela Staats presented the district’s 2016-19 special education plan to the board.

According to 2014-15 data, the district significantly lagged behind the state in the areas of speech and language.

In the report presented to the board, it was noted that due to the rural nature of the district, many parents do not initiate Early Intervention Services available to children ages 3-5 through the intermediate unit (IU19).

Staats said some of the discrepancies can be corrected with intervention.

According to the report, the district often has students with who enter kindergarten with some speech or language deficits that can be corrected with therapy.

The plan proposes to implement more rigorous program to correct issues for students not receiving early intervention services.

The complete 2016-19 special education plan is available for review on the district website, www.elklakeschool.org.

A WVIA agreement for various programs was approved for $100 per year, Dr. Cuomo said, noting that this fee has not gone up in price.

An Occupational Therapy professional service agreement with Donna M. Brink, Tier Occupational Therapy Services, PC, of Hallstead, was approved, with no increase in fees for special education students. Cuomo said the rate was $75 per hour.

The board granted permission to post a second shift maintenance position, “which came about due to the unfortunate loss of one of our staff members,” Cuomo said.

Bond repayment was approved for the SCCTC building, at $570,822.50.

Another bond payment for the Johnson Controls energy savings project was approved for $245,786.25.

Lifeguard course reimbursements were approved for several lifeguards who have worked for the Elk Lake School for one year.

“This was revised at the last meeting, however, these lifeguards were employed under the old system, and had paid up front for their courses, so the fee was refunded to them,” Cuomo said.

Food service software was approved for use in the cafeterias. Food Service Manager Donna Waldenberger said that this program will save a lot of paperwork, time, effort and money.

With the approach of the end of the school year, the board approved a list of graduating seniors for the class of 2016.

A senior high band and chorus concert was underway during the board meeting, and the junior high band and chorus concert is
scheduled for May 4.

Other upcoming events include:
*Prom on May 7;
*senior high
awards assembly on May 16;
*junior high awards day on May 20;
*Baccalaureate is scheduled for June 5;
*and gradation is June 11 at
10 a.m.