The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Statement were read to Board members.  No guests were present at the time of the meeting.

No public comments for this meeting as no public guests/visitors for this meeting.

Ms. Bair gave an update on the current status with COVID-19 as it relates to re-opening plans for ERA and second semester.  Another survey will be sent to families to gage feelings and perceptions about returning to school as we get closer to second semester.  The school admin team will look at how to transition students with minimal disruption.  

When ERA returns to Plan B, we will begin with students in grades K-5.  The school staff is prepared to bring students back when the data will allow them to return safely.

Mrs. Anspach asked if the outcome of the election would have an impact on students returning to school or allowing the school to remain remote.  Ms. Bair said this is to be determined and would be based upon what the NC General Assembly decides.

Ms. Bair said that the December decision will be applicable for the remainder of the year in order to not disrupt learning and schedules as much.  The school will offer some social events while practicing safety to build community.
 

-Robbie Williams, a senior, installed a flagpole at the K8 building as part of his Eagle Scout project.
-Several seniors have been nominated for scholarships such as Morehead-Cain, Parks, Belk, and Levine.  We wish them the best of luck as they go forward in the process.

~Each staff member (exluding administration) will receive a $350 bonus in his/her October check.
~All schools must have an anonymous reporting system for tips and other safety information.  The school admin team will have training on this in November.  Students and parents will have access to this system.
~Enrollment remained steady for the first quarter. We will not enroll new students until January and those will only be for the few openings we have in high school. We are full in K-8.
~New insurance options will be rolled out beginning November 2nd. We have created a portal for staff to manage their options and policies which include long term and short term disability, flex benefits (pre-tax) and expanded dental and vision. 
~Scribsoft is creating our lottery site which will go live on January 5th. The lottery will remain open until February 19th and we will run the lottery on February 26th. This site also will be used for reenrollment as well. 
~Virtual tours begin on November 3rd. We will host via Zoom with video and PowerPoint portions to show families along with Q&A. 
~Virtual spirit week is this coming week for K-8. We kicked it off with our report card parade and gave out props to each student. 
~High school will host a senior class drive-thru brunch and pumpkin decorating/costume contest on Wednesday. 

Mrs. Barr did not have any PATH updates for this meeting due to fall break. She will be connecting soon with the PATH liaison to give an udpate.

Future Visions does not have an update at this time.

Ms. Bair and Mrs. Anspach shared the monthly budget report.  State funds have not been fully added yet as well as some local funds.  This is why there are some decifits on the budget report.  However, the final expenditures will balance out once those funds are received.

Mrs. Gonzalez and Mr. Penny summarized the recent D & I Task Force meetings so far this semester.  Mr. Penny commented that the purpose of the meeting on 10/20 was to recenter the focus and harness the passion of the task force to create a more diverse, inclusive school community.

Mrs. Gonzalez shared the task force wanted to craft communication about its work and purpose as well as how to give feedback to the group.  Mrs. Yagnow suggested that the communication should be more direct and in a form as a statement of where we are going as a school and the steps we are taking to achieve this.

This discussion will be moved to next month's agenda.

Mrs. Yagnow recommended two appointments for the Grievance Committee for the 2020-2021 school year:  Allison Paul and Elizabeth Millan.

Mr. O'Malley recommended that Sarah Yagnow serve as the Board Communication Liaison for the 2020-2021 school year.

At this time, a secretary will not be appointed at this meeting.  

Mr. O'Malley asked if we could flex on the Board meeting dates for November and December dates as there were a few conflicts for members.  

Mrs. Anspach mentioned that we would need to make sure that we would give 7 days advanced notice in order to make sure that we would violate public meeting laws.

No closed session at this time.