Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield — Members of the Wakefield-Marenisco board of education learned at Monday how the district supports students classified as homeless.
According to superintendent Jason Gustafson, the Wakefield-Marenisco K-12 School has 11 such students. He said they fit the definition simply because they live with relatives or friends, rather than with immediate family.
Gustafson said if children were living with parents in the Eddy Park Campground, they also would be classified as homeless, as would kids awaiting foster placement or living in an unsafe house (no heat, water.)
“The idea is to assure homeless students get equal treatment and opportunities,” he said, while referring to the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistant Act, which is part of the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Gustafson said homeless students are entitled to immediate enrollment and free lunch, even if all required documents are not yet processed. The district also provides them with transportation, if needed.
He showed board members a brief McKinney-Vento training video, which reinforced his report.
Gustafson also explained the district’s first snow day on Nov. 9. “It’s always much easier for families if we can cancel the night before,” he said about his decision to do just that, on the basis of a pending storm.
Although the weather appeared fine on the morning of the cancellation, he said the storm that started in the afternoon would have created serious problems for the commute home if school had been in session.
“It’s far better to be safe than sorry,” said trustee Marg Lynott, with several other board members concurring.
Gustafson said another advantage of the school being closed was that the city of Wakefield and Lindquist Electric, Inc., of Ironwood were able to switch the school’s power over to a new transformer without interrupting a regular school day.
The board also:
—Heard the district received a $25,000 school safety grant sponsored by Michigan State Police. Gustafson said the grant funds, for which he worked several weeks last summer with trooper Jerry Mazurek and Gogebic County Emergency Management Coordinator Jim Loeper, will fund the replacement of all remaining exterior school doors. Some doors already had been replaced in recent months.
—Heard the district received a $7,500 anonymous donation from a Wakefield alumna who lives in Florida. Gustafson said the donor asked for the money to be spent on whatever the school needs. He said he is considering buying desks or tables and chairs for grades 7-12.
—Heard Gustafson praise the school’s varsity volleyball team, which won the district championship for the first time. He also congratulated team coaches Kim Leinon and Jessica Novascone.
—Heard athletic director Mark Lane report the booster club is buying four new rectangular backboards and rims for the gym. Installation is expected on Dec. 5. Lane said the girls’ and boys’ varsity and junior varsity basketball teams have begun practicing.
—Heard the first reading of policy revisions from Neola, an educational policy firm serving six states. Board members will vote on the revisions at their next meeting.
Today, students will have an early school release at noon because of the Thanksgiving holiday. They will not return to school until Monday.
The next board meeting will be on Dec. 17 at 5 p.m.
The school’s Christmas concert will be on Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. in the school gym.
