Gallatin Board Approves Football Cooperative Plan With Tri-County; Illnesses Are Discussed

The Gallatin R-5 Board of Education voted Wednesday evening to enter into a cooperative sports agreement with Tri-County for football for the Fall 2022 season.
The action came during the board’s regular monthly meeting and followed action earlier this month when the Tri-County R-7 Board approved the agreement. The cooperative will allow Tri-County R-7 middle school and high school students to play football with Gallatin next fall. Currently, the agreement only extends to middle school students, who then cannot play when they reach ninth grade. The new agreement will allow players to continue playing football in high school. Activities Director Barron Gann said the addition of the students will not move Gallatin from Class 1, which had a cut off of 207 students in grades nine through 11 this year. That number might be increased to 215, he said.
GHS Head Football Coach Patrick Treece said he supports the change and feels it will provide added depth for the team and added opportunity for Tri-County athletes.
The two schools also have an agreement allowing Gallatin High School students to play spring baseball with Tri-County.
Board members updated the district’s Safe Return To In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan to reflect current CDC guidelines for quarantine. Masking is encouraged in the buildings as students and staff are experiencing a high incidence of illness including not just COVID-19 but also Influenza A and other seasonal illnesses. Classes were cancelled on Tuesday, Jan. 18 due to the high rate of illness and the difficulty in obtaining substitute teachers to fill in for those who were sick. Superintendent Dr. Bryan Copple told board members that attendance on Wednesday was 84 percent at Covel D. Searcy Elementary School, 82 percent at Gallatin Middle School and 85 percent at Gallatin High School. Dr. Copple said the administration will continue monitoring the situation and said it is possible classes will need to be cancelled again if illnesses continue.
The only other items requiring action during the meeting were updates to board policies involving school board elections when the number of candidates equal the number of openings (no election is required) and policies that “clean up” the language involving support staff leave.
Board members heard a report from the counseling department, with Elementary Counselor Deanna Wiederholt and High School Counselor Carrie Crouse discussing activities within their departments. Among the items of particlar note was the beginning of the Lunch Buddy program, which pairs adult volunteers with students and programs focusing on suicide prevention and self-care. It was noted that the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development has announced that A-Plus funds can be used for dual credit courses. Mrs. Crouse said parents should be alerted that the application to use those funds is a two-step process and information has been emailed to students concerning that process.
In his report, Dr. Copple commended Shonna Morrison and the Gallatin and Trenton Bright Futures organizations for the successful “Beds for Bulldogs” campaign, which resulted in funds being raised for 12 beds for students in need. He discussed a recent meeting he attended in which the policy of “open enrollment” for Missouri students was discussed. He said it is a very real possibility that the state will adopt such a policy, which would allow students to enroll in districts other than the one in which they reside. Also discussed at the meeting was MSIP 6, with both of those discussions becoming “heated,” he said.
Monday, Feb. 7 is a professional development day in the district, with the morning to be spent on curriculum and the afternoon to include the required annual active shooter training. Dr. Copple, who has resigned his position to become the superintendent in the Richmond School District for the 2022-23 school year, thanked the board and district for their support over the years.
High School Principal Brent Burke shared upcoming events for high school students and noted that at a recent Missouri State High School Activities Association a conversation was held concerning the addition of a shot clock to high school basketball. Burke said the thought is it will help high school athletes prepare for college ball. Burke said the change would be expensive for school districts to implement.
Gallatin Middle School Principal Dr. Justin Collins said his staff has continued to focus on social-emotional learning which includes developing healthy identities, managing emotions, achieving goals, showing empathy for others and establishing and maintaining supportive relationships. He also discussed preparations for MAP testing and said eight GMS students were scheduled to participate in the Daviess County Spelling Bee on Thursday, Jan. 20 at Pattonsburg.
In her report, Elementary Principal Nicole Thogmartin discussed professional development activities and said the school’s Tier 2/3 PBIS team has been asked to present its Tier 3 program at this summer’s academy for Missouri and Arkansas teachers. She provided reading and math data for students and said primary grade teachers are seeing growth in their students. In addition to the Beds for Bulldogs effort, she commended Bright Futures for its Christmas Blessings program.
A closed session was held to discuss personnel, with the board accepting the resignations of Lesli Lin, who serves as board treasurer, and Vickie France, special education instructor. Both resignations are effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year.
The next regular meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 16. Board members will be meeting Feb. 15 and 16 to conduct interviews for the superintendent’s position.