August 12, 2024 Board Highlights

Chris Adamson took the Oath of Office as the newest member of the Deer Creek School District Board of Education tonight during his first meeting. Please join us in welcoming him and thanking him for his service! 

Superintendent's Report

Dr. Jason Perez updated the board on the following: 

• Preparing for Back to School: "Our entire district has been hard at work preparing for the start of another great school year. We were excited to kick off our professional development with Convocation last week, and our teachers and staff have been busy preparing their rooms, lesson plans and activities for when students return on Wednesday. We can’t wait to see all of our students!"
   
• Antler Day Care is Officially Open: "Thanks to the hard work of Dr. Ehrich and Antler Care Director Makenna Ewing, we were able to open the district’s first employee childcare center last week. This cost-effective program will provide a great benefit to our teachers, and will serve as a recruitment and retention tool for employees."

• New Teacher Academy: "We welcomed 100 new teachers to Deer Creek this year. The three days of our New Teacher Academy were filled with intentional professional development and activities that help them get familiar with our district and be successful during the school year. Thank you to DCHS band, cheer, pom and the transportation department for participating in the special pep rally and bus tour." 

• Orchestra is Here! "Our Orchestra Director Kimberly Banz has been working tirelessly to prepare for the launch of the Deer Creek Orchestra Program this school year. We know great things will be accomplished through this program, and can’t wait to see our students shine even further." 

New Hires

The board approved the hiring of all personnel listed on the Personnel Schedule. 

Board Actions

1. Approved all items on the consent agenda. 
2. Approved updates to Board Policy JCA - Residence of Student to change residency terms to the full school year
3. Approved changes to Board Policy JEA - Attendance Policy and Regulations related to the district's DVAP process 
4. Approved updates to Board Policy GDPD - Suspension, Demotion, Termination of Support Employees, updating board policy to align with existing personnel practices 
5. Approved Board Policy GDPC - Suspension of Certified Personnel, to establish a board policy that outlines existing personnel practices
6. Approved changes to Board Policy IGAC - Teaching about Religion, adding language that was recently adapted from administrative rules from the Oklahoma State Department of Education regarding voluntary private prayer and the minute of silence
7. Approved updates to Board Policy JFCH - Activity Student Drug Testing, re-implementing student drug testing for those involved in student activities at the middle and high school
8. Approved the name of the Deer Creek High School stadium to be named Tyler Tidwell Stadium
9. Approved the implementation of the Oklahoma Teacher Empowerment Program in Deer Creek Schools

*Not Comprehensive 

Meeting Date & Time: August 12, 2024, 6 p.m. 
Location: Deer Creek Administration Building
Board Members in Attendance: Kelli Lay, James Gibbs, Stan Green, Christopher Adamson, Mike Kiehn
Next Meeting: September 9, 2024, 6 p.m.