By Nanette Light
Norman Public Schools is making an investment in hand sanitizer.
The school board announ-ced Monday night that in about a week, every Norman classroom should have its own bottle of hand sanitizer to battle the H1N1 virus.
The cost is $6.70 per bottle, plus refills, but Roger Brown, assistant superintendent, said it's worth every penny.
"H1N1 is real. It's here," said Brown, who met with the Cleveland County Health Department and Center for Disease Control to compare different brands. The district chose a pricier option, but Brown said the decision was based on professional recommendations from the health department and the CDC.
"If we're going to do this, we're going to do this right," he said.
About 1,000 bottles were ordered Monday to start the process and are expected to arrive sometime next week. The district began the process around the beginning of August.
Brooks Hull, board member who asked for an update on the hand sanitizer, congratulated the efforts of the administration to move quickly.
"That's quite a step for us," Hull said. "It's no small feat to put a bottle in every classroom."
And just as board members thought they would be able to skate out of the meeting in 40 minutes, a rare occurrence, Superintendent Dr. Joe Siano brought an order of new business, an emergency request from the administration, to the table: Consideration of a lease for a temporary building.
A large crack has developed on the north side of the Administrative Services Center, and the administration is concerned about the strength of the building.
It's hard to ignore the crack, and the orange tape marking off the area doesn't leave room for doubt.
Siano said about four offices will need to be evacuated. A nine-month lease estimated at $18,000 with Nortex Modular Space, a company the district already has existing lease agreements with, was drawn up to bring in a temporary building outfitted as an office on site.
The board approved the lease.
"This won't be a quick remedy," admitted Siano, who said the project could take longer than expected.
In other business, the board approved the gifted education plan for the 2009 to 2010 school year.
The plan is predominantly the same from previous years, except the district is adding pacing strategies such as individualized instruction, accelerated material and independent study units, which will accommodate a variety of learning rates and styles, said Donna Walker, director of the Gifted Program.
Eventually, Walker said the district will place student profile information on a campus-wide computer system that will allow teachers, with the click of a mouse, to view students' strengths and weaknesses.
Walker, however, admitted the process will be slow to implement.
"It's like taking baby steps," she said.
Siano said this will be a personnel-driven effort. For the program to be effective, he said it should be a priority of the district to increase staffing when revenue is available.
"But if you're not planning, then when the revenue is available, you're too late," Siano said.
