◆ Selected applicants to receive interview for Allred’s seat can expect to be notified today.

Lincoln County School District No. 2 School Board has accepted the resignation of Board Member Lane Allred, who is expected to win the election in November for House District Representative 21, as he runs unopposed.

“I would like to thank Member Allred in his final moments of service in this district. We look forward to working with him closely and appreciate the relationships we have. We have trust and confidence that he will do great things as a legislator,” said Superintendent Matt Erickson in the school board meeting October 12.

Allred responded, admitting his regret in the need to resign. “It has been a privilege to be in this position and work with you. Thank you very much.”

With Allred leaving a vacancy, board members are in the process of selecting a replacement for his seat.

Applications for the seat vacated by Allred were accepted by the district until 4 p.m. on October 20. This morning, the board met in a Special School Board Meeting by Zoom to review applications. Applicants who have been selected for interview will be notified today. A Special Board Meeting executive Session will be convened November 2 at 6 p.m. to interview selected applicants. An open session will follow the executive session, and the selected candidate will be announced at the conclusion of the open session.

At the regular monthly School Board Meeting on November 9, the newly select- ed board member will take the Oath of Office and join the board. Area 2, Area 5 and At Large newly elected trustees will also take the Oath and join the board at that time, pending a clear determination from the Lincoln County Clerk’s office.

In other news from LCSD No. 2 School Board
• CHS needs a new roof. Bids are going out for that job to begin summer 2023. The Cokeville Schools Fuel Pump is being re- located from the Town of Cokeville lot to the CHS lot. Snow removal is already bid for the winter. More bids for snow removal were submitted this year than last year. Structural steel has been assembled on the Osmond Elementary School edition and is expected to be completed by the end of October. The addition to Afton Elementary School has concrete floors poured and structural steel is being assembled.

• The JFCI policy on random drug testing for secondary students was approved on a second and final reading. Board member Connie Day commented, “I think it is really important to understand that this is not about trying to bust our kids. We are trying to make sure that we are doing as much as we can for preventative purposes. We support our kids. We want to help give them a reason to be able to say no [to drugs]. This is not punitive….It’s trying help them make sure that they are OK. That’s the purpose of the policy.” This policy can be found on the district website under Board Docs in the agenda for the October 12 meeting.

• Policy GBIA was approved to prohibit the distribution of non-school sponsored materials through the school. PTO materials are considered school sponsored. This protects the district from the possibility of promoting something over which they have no authority or control. This policy is not locally created. It is required by attorneys of the Wyoming Educators Association.

• Policy KI was approved on first reading. This policy covers school safety, putting increased precautions in place to monitor who is in academic areas of buildings during academic portions of the school day. There was significant discussion among board members about the security measures outlined in the policy. By this policy, volunteers and parents need to be cleared and have permission from administrators to enter the schools beyond the office during school hours. This protects privacy of students and student information, keeps order in classrooms and ensures safety for students in general. “This is not to interfere with parents’ rights,” assured Day. Board Member Darnell Simpson expressed concern about increasing security measures that parents may perceive as an indication they are not welcome on campuses. Simpson asked questions about a parent’s need to follow additional security measures and indicated that schools already have strong security protocols in place.

“I’m not sure that I like that language….I’m not sure what we are trying to accomplish here more than, to me, telling parents ‘You are not welcome here. You need to call the principal before you come.’ That’s the concern I have.”

Erickson clarified that “Obviously we are going to use common sense. The intent behind tightening [this policy] up is that there is a level of security that we need. We don’t know everybody anymore. Background checks only check for one thing.” Board Chairman Wade Hirschi acknowledged that the language is unclear and could potentially send parents the wrong message. “We certainly don’t want to do that.” The board agreed to review the policy and to clarify situations in which parents would need to reach out to administrators before planning to be on campus during academic hours.

On first reading, the board approved a policy accepting Temporary Virtual Education options for LCSD No. 2. The policy is still under review but indicates that administrators may call for virtual school days as needed with no more than 50 percent of the school days being virtual in any given year.