The Administrator - February 2022

VOLUME 47 • ISSUE 7 FEBRUARY 2022

THE

ADMINISTRATOR

LEAD WITH COMPASSION

HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH SEL FOCUS

Dr. Mike Hernandez counsels on leading with compassion and open communication during difficult times.

Dr. Stephanie Nehus wishes you a happy new year and shares tools that keep social-emotional learning at the forefront.

Executive Viewpoint

Page 3

President’s Perspective

Page 4

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Viewpoint • P. 3 President’s Perspective • P. 4 Asked and Answered • P. 5 Compliance Connection • P. 6 CoSN Update • P. 6

ADMINISTRATOR SPOTLIGHT: DR. CHRIS NAIL

Administrator Spotlight • P. 7

In the Spotlight this month is Dr. Chris Nail, Superintendent of Beebe School District.

Publication Sneak Peek • P. 11

Page 7

Benefits Corner • P. 10

Job Openings • P. 13

AAEA Staff

2022 Calendar of Events

Dr. Mike Hernandez Executive Director m.hernandez@theaaea.org

February ArkASPA Spring Drive-In Conference February 24, 2022, Wyndham Riverfront, Little Rock

Mike Mertens Assistant Executive Director m.mertens@theaaea.org

March CASBO Classes March 2-3, 2022, Benton Event Center

Lenett Thrasher Director of Learning Services & Operations l.thrasher@theaaea.org

AACTEA Spring Drive-In Conference March 31, 2022, Arkansas River ESC, Pine Bluff

Robyn Keene Director of Financial Services r.keene@theaaea.org

AASBO/SASBO Joint Conference April 5-7, 2022, Hot Springs Convention Center

Kelli Golden Chief Financial Officer k.golden@theaaea.org

Marty Smith Member Relations Manager m.smith@theaaea.org

Karen Dean Certification Program Manager k.dean@theaaea.org

Alyse Mattox Communications & Technology Specialist a.mattox@theaaea.org

Melanie Thrasher Business Analyst m.thrasher@theaaea.org

1

April ASPMA CFD Classes April 14, 2022, Conway School District Professional Development Annex

May ASBA/AAEA Joint Leadership Conference May 3, 2022, Wyndham Riverfront, Little Rock AAFC Spring Conference May 4-6, 2022, Hot Springs Convention Center

June AASEA Summer Conference June 6-7, 2022, DoubleTree Little Rock

July ASPMA CFD Classes July 19, 2022, Conway School District Professional Development Annex AAEA Summer Conference July 25-26, 2022, Statehouse Convention Center and Marriott Hotel For more information, visit theaaea.org/events or see Page 9.

2021-2022 AAEA Board of Directors Dr. Karla Neathery AAEA Board Secretary/ Treasurer Superintendent, Arkadelphia

Debbie Atkinson AAEA Past President Principal, Bergman

Dr. Andrea Martin AASA Secretary Superintendent, Greenland

Mark Lewis AAESP President Principal, Conway

Stacy DeFoor AAESP Past President Principal, Conway

Scott Smith AASSP President Principal, Western Yell County

Matt Ziegler AASSP President-Elect Principal, Riverside

David Maxwell AASSP Past President Principal, Mena

Brandie Williams ArkASPA President Superintendent, Trumann

Dr. Lee Smith AACTEA President Superintendent, Mena

Susan Gilley AAFC President Executive Dir Fed Prog & Instructional Tech, Harrison

Kevin Luck AASBO President Business Manager, Vilonia

Charles Warren AASBO Past President Chief Financial Officer, Fort Smith

Carla Curtis AASEA President Director of Special Services, Fayetteville

Kim Fowler AACIA President Assistant Director/ Teacher Center Coordinator, Ozark Unlimited Resource ESC

Eric Hipp AAMLA President Principal, Bentonville

Aliza Jones ASPMA President Facilities Consortium Coordinator, Lavaca

Dr. Mike Hernandez AAEA Executive Director

Dr. Stephanie Nehus AAEA President Superintendent, Hot Springs

Brian Kirkendoll AAEA President-Elect Principal, Alma

Jon Collins AASA President Superintendent, West Memphis

Skipper Ward AASA President-Elect Superintendent, Magnolia

Carol Skiba AAESP President-Elect Principal, Cabot

Monica Springfield AAGEA President Ozark Unlimited Resource ESC

2021-2022 AAEA Corporate Sponsors Prestigious

Diamond (Continued)

Platinum (Continued)

American Fidelity Assurance Co. Coryell Roofing and Construction, Inc. Curriculum Associates Educational Benefits, Inc. Imagine Learning Lifetouch National School Studios, Inc. NIET - National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Pearson Online and Blended Learning Pro Benefits Group, Inc. Renaissance Learning, Inc. Scholastic Education Solution Tree, Inc.

ESS First Security Beardsley Forecast5 Analytics Middleton, Inc. PowerSchool Rave Mobile Safety Smart Data Dashboard Stephens, Inc. Strategos International, LLC Tanium Winsor Learning - Sonday Systems

Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects Progressive Technologies TRANE US, Inc.

Diamond Apptegy ClassWallet Edgenuity Edmentum Energy Systems Group

Platinum AAMSCO Architecture Plus, Inc. C.R. Crawford Construction, LLC Entegrity Energy Partners, LLC Legacy Construction Management Lexia Learning Nabholz Construction Corp.

Gold Crow Group, Inc. Cynergy Rehab Group FIS Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Kinco Constructors, LLC Phoenix Contractors, LLC Red Comet TIPS - The Interlocal Purchasing System

Silver Correll, Inc. French Architects, PA Hight-Jackson Associates, PA SEAS 2

Executive Viewpoint Dr. Mike Hernandez, AAEA Executive Director

Lead with Compassion Take a deep breath. We will get through this extraordinary time in education. Being a school leader comes with the added pressure of feeling like you always have to have the answers to any issue. It is impossible to have the answers to what you are facing. I can run through the litany of things that don't make sense or cause significant issues in your districts, but I won't. The reality is that not having the answer does not show weakness or incompetence in your role as an administrator. What does matter is how you react in the situation when you do not know the answer. A tip I have found helpful is using communication to lead in a crisis setting. We have learned by now that being sure about where things are going is not our reality.

We have had to pivot, reformulate plans, take one step forward and two steps back. One of my favorite quotes often attributed to Mark Twain is, "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." Communication about what you don't know is just as important as what you do know. Hearing from leaders on a planned and strategic basis is often comforting to the masses. I have seen so many great efforts to communicate with your school community. These acts will go a long way to solidify your ability to lead your schools and districts.

It is natural for people to move away from kindness and caring in times of crisis. Exhaustion and frustration make leading very difficult. I read a great article the other day by Amy Gallo in the Harvard Business Review titled, "What Your Coworkers Need Right Now Is Compassion." It explains how easy it is to be judgmental of our coworkers' actions. As an alternative, we should focus on empathy and kindness when dealing with others. As an administrator, you are constantly coming into contact with various students, parents, staff, and community members who may have different perspectives on the current pandemic.

Some throw caution to the wind regarding social distancing, masking, vaccines, etc. Others take maximum precautions as they maneuver their day. Depending on your personal beliefs, your view of others can become increasingly negative. As administrators, we do not have the luxury of avoiding connection with all community members. You must try to know and understand where everyone is coming from and plot a path forward for your district. You and your colleagues are under extreme stress. Mistakes are inevitable by you and your stakeholders. Continue to be a Super Star administrator and lead with compassion.

The 2022 Fiscal Session will start on February 14th. It is scheduled to last 30 days but can be extended an additional 15 days with a 3/4 vote of the General Assembly. I anticipate several pieces of legislation related to the health insurance programs for school and state employees. The proposed changes will be based on recommendations from the Segal Group study. There may be an attempt to include Critical Race Theory (CRT) on the agenda, but this will take a 2/3 vote of the General Assembly to add non-fiscal items like CRT. We will need your support in quickly reviewing articles regarding changes in health insurance as bills are filed. You can get a head start by reviewing the recommendations by the Segal Group found here.

Hopefully, we will start to see a sustained downturn in Covid-19 numbers, and we can cut through the noise to do what we do best. That is educating students. You are all extraordinary folks. We are always here to help you!

3

President’s Perspective Dr. Stephanie Nehus, AAEA Board President

Happy New Year with SEL Focus Happy New Year! May 2022 be the best year yet in your professional career! Second semester of the 2021-2022 school year is upon us. As we all know, the spring semester comes and goes so quickly. Our state accountability assessment will dominate our thoughts as we educate our students. We are all, also, deep in the planning for the 2022-2023 school year. The life of an educational leader is not for the faint of heart!

Social-emotional learning (SEL) must always be on the forefront. While we returned to our schools after a two week break in January, unfortunately some of our students did not have an amazing, relaxing break. In the Hot Springs School District, we proudly utilize Capturing Kids’ Hearts (CKH) as the foundation of the work we do to build relationships. “If you have a child’s heart…you have a child’s mind” - Flip Flippen, Flippen Group.

I am blessed to have two schools identified as Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase Schools. Whether you use CKH or something else, SEL work is critical.

CKH emphasizes how to “EXCEL” at meetings, which can also be used successfully in the classroom. I will share in the hope that it provides some insight for some of you.

Engage - Greet and share good things to begin.

X-plore - Identify the needs of the group.

Communicate - Meet the needs you can and clearly communicate expectations.

Empower - Make sure to identify who’s going to do what, by when.

Launch - End with reflections and affirmations.

G.U.I.D.E. for Life is another great tool to help our students find personal success.

Growth - Manage yourself.

Understanding - Know yourself.

Interaction - Build relationships.

Decisions - Make responsible choices.

Empathy - Be aware of others.

As we begin 2022, I wish each of you success. Please let AAEA know if you have any needs. You are all AMAZING and the state of Arkansas is blessed to have you leading our schools and students.

4

Asked & Answered Mike Mertens, AAEA Assistant Executive Director The question was, "Do you know where I can get a copy of the form that prospective bidders complete verifying they have not colluded with any school official or employee in preparing their bid?"

Arkansas law is very specific as to what information should be included in this "form," ACA 6-21-304(a)(4)(A) says, "Any competitive bid submitted to a school district in response to a solicitation for bids for the purchase of a commodity shall be accompanied by a form substantially similar to the following that is signed and notarized by the agent of the bidder."

[NAME OF SCHOOL DISTRICT] [NAME OF COUNTY] I, __________, hereby state: (1) I am the duly authorized agent of __________, the bidder submitting the competitive bid which is attached to this statement, for the purpose of certifying the facts pertaining to the existence of collusion among and between bidders and state officials, as well as facts pertaining to the giving or offering of things of value to government personnel in return for special consideration in the awarding of any contract pursuant to the bid to which this statement is attached.

(2) I am fully aware of the facts and circumstances surrounding the making of the bid to which this statement is attached and have been personally and directly involved in the proceedings leading to the submission of the bid.

(3) Neither the bidder nor anyone subject to the bidder's direction or control has been a party: (A) To any collusion among bidders in restraint of freedom of competition by agreement to bid at a fixed price or to refrain from bidding; (B) To any collusion with any state official or employee as to quantity, quality or price in the prospective contract, or as to any other terms of the prospective contract; or (C) In any discussions between bidders and any state official concerning exchange of money or other things of value for special consideration in the awarding of a contract.

(4) I hereby guarantee that the specifications outlined in the bid shall be followed as specified and that deviations from the specifications shall occur only as part of a formal change process approved by the Board of Directors of the school district. _______________________ Signature Subscribed and sworn to before me this __________ day of __________, 20___. _______________________ Notary Public

If you have questions for Mike, email him at m.mertens@theaaea.org.

5

Compliance Connection Proposed ACA Health Coverage Reporting Relief Submitted by Tom Sledge, Arkansas State Manager, American Fidelity Assurance Co. New proposed rules give employers more time to distribute Affordable Care Act (ACA) forms, but no more “good faith” relief for reporting errors.

Automatic 30-Day Extension to Furnish Forms 1095-B and -C The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has proposed regulations that, once finalized, will make permanent an automatic 30-day extension for providing Forms 1095-B and C to individuals. A similar extension has been granted for the past several years. This is good news for employers and insurers who in past years have been forced to wait until late in the busy end-of-year tax reporting season to find out if an extension would apply.

Action Required Deadline Furnish individual 1095 forms March 2, 2022 File on paper with IRS February 28, 2022 File electronically with IRS March 31, 2022 Alternate Furnishing Method for Part-Time Employees Covered Under Self-Insured Plan The proposed regulations do not change any of the compliance responsibilities applicable to large employers, who must still issue Form 1095-C to each full-time employee and file copies of each form with the IRS, even if the employee waived coverage under the employer’s plan.

The new rules do, however, propose to make permanent the alternative furnishing method available in past tax years for forms provided to part-time employees (and to non-employees such as COBRA participants) enrolled in self-insured coverage.

The alternative furnishing method involves making copies of 1095 forms available upon request, publishing a statement on the employer’s website, and maintaining this information until at least October 15 each year.

Employers wishing to explore the alternative method are encouraged to closely review the requirements.

ACA Compliance Should Remain Top Priority While this relief is welcome, employers should stay mindful of ACA responsibilities for three reasons: 1.

There is no extension for filing forms with the IRS; that deadline remains the same.

2.

The proposed regulations emphasize that the IRS will no longer grant “good faith effort” relief for minor ACA reporting errors. ACA reporting penalties can add up fast. Even if affordable coverage is offered to all full-time employees, employers still face stiff monetary penalties for late, inaccurate, or incomplete forms.

Employers are encouraged to work closely with their vendors, service providers, or internal ACA reporting team to ensure a smooth and successful ACA reporting process.

CoSN: Support for Technology Administrators CoSN is a great resource for school technology administrators. Check this page monthly for links to articles to assist technology leaders as they navigate through digital learning transformations.

Click Here to Read About This Month’s Topics • Interoperability: Seamlessly Sharing Data, Content, and Services Within School District Systems or Applications • Leadership Strategies for Scaling, Sustaining, and Budgeting for Education Technology Innovations • CoSN Critical Focus Area One Pager - Strategic Technology Planning and Investment, Aligning Priorities, Balancing Choice Cost & Outcomes • Financing Technology Innovations - Strategies and Tools • CoSN 2022 Annual Conference • CoSN Membership 6

Administrator Spotlight:

Dr. Chris Nail

Superintendent, Beebe School District “If you want people to respect and follow you, imagine they have a sign around their neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’”

- Lou Holtz These are the words Dr. Chris Nail, Superintendent at Beebe School District, credits with being the best advice he has ever received. To that end, he strives to be viewed as “someone who cares,” and believes that the most important thing one must do to be successful in education is to keep the focus on people. “People make the difference, whether teachers or students,” he states.

“You must be willing to work with people.”

Dr. Nail became interested in a career in education because of his “love for kids and wanting to see them succeed.” It's an interest that runs in the family – both of his parents are retired educators, and he's married to an educator as well. He started his education career at Fountain Hill teaching history and coaching basketball, and has since served in seven other districts throughout the state in schools big and small. “My jobs included classroom teacher, coach, assistant principal, high school principal, curriculum coordinator, and superintendent,“ he says. “I have enjoyed all of them and the different perspectives gained from each one.“ When it comes to his favorite thing about working in education, Dr. Nail says it's “seeing high school students walk across the stage to receive their diploma.” As to the most challenging aspect of his job, he has just one word: “COVID.” He lists the top three changes he has seen in education as: “1) The embedding of technology throughout everything we do, 2) Collaboration with parents is more necessary now than it ever has been, and 3) There is a much higher demand for accountability via student outcomes.”

Dr. Nail is most proud of how hard he and everyone in the Beebe school community have worked to build and maintain a positive atmosphere in their district, which is says shown not only through their interactions with each other but also through the decisions they make for academics, facilities, and everything in between. “It has been my goal to provide the best learning environment in the state for our students and staff,” he says, “and I feel confident that we have made great strides toward this in the past four years.” As to future goals, he hopes to continue making a difference in the field of education, and says that his district is committed to raising literacy scores. “We are working to help our students be successful readers, and I look forward to seeing the fruits of our labor.“ 7

!

Q&A ?

with

“I am a trained scuba diver.”

What is the most daring thing you’ve done?

“I dove with sharks at the Cayman Islands.”

What’s something that amazes you?

“How much a great teacher can impact a child - It’s amazing how they can close the door and make the magic happen with their students.”

What do you enjoy doing during your time off?

“Spending time with my family”

What is one of the things on your “Bucket List?”

“I would like to travel to Ireland."

If you weren’t in your current position, what would you be doing?

“Greeting people at Walmart”

What do you see as the biggest benefit of AAEA membership?

“The resources they provide to all members plus legislative updates and lobbying on behalf of public schools in Arkansas.”

8

2022 ArkASPA Spring Drive-In Conference February 24, 2022 Little Rock, AR & Virtual

UPC OMING EVENTS

The ArkASPA Spring Drive-In Conference will take place February 24, 2022 at the Wyndham Riverfront in Little Rock and via live-stream. Register here!

2022 CASBO Certification Classes March 2-3, 2022 Benton, AR & Virtual The Arkansas Association of School Business Officials (AASBO) has scheduled six CASBO certification classes for March 2-3, hosted at the Benton Events Center in Benton and via live-stream. Register here!

2022 ASPMA CFD Classes April 14, 2022 Conway, AR & Virtual The Arkansas School Plant Management Association (ASPMA) has scheduled two (2) required and one (1) Certified Facility Director (CFD) classes for April 14, 2022, at the Special Services Annex in Conway, located by 1902 Harrison Street. Classes will also be live-streamed. Register here!

Save the Date! 2022 Summer Conference July 25-26, 2022 Little Rock, AR The 2022 AAEA Summer Conference, Love Public Education: Changing the Narrative, will be held on July 25-26, 2022 at the Statehouse Convention Center and Marriott Hotel in Little Rock, AR. Registration will open this spring!

9

Benefits Corner Stopping the Great Teacher Resignation Will Be Education’s Big Challenge for 2022 Submitted by Shane Pennington, Regional Sales Executive, Educational Benefits, Inc. Schools have faced extraordinary challenges over the last two years, but perhaps the biggest is still to come in 2022: stopping the Great Teacher Resignation. The pandemic has prompted many people to rethink their careers, highlighting dissatisfaction with pay and working conditions, with unprecedented numbers voluntarily leaving their jobs.

Teaching has so far largely been insulated from this phenomenon, dubbed the Great Resignation. Indeed, as a relatively well-paid and secure profession it has proved something of a safe haven during the turbulence caused by successive lockdowns. But all that could change as we learn to live with Covid and options outside of teaching become more appealing. And if the big challenge of 2021 was to get children back into the classroom, the challenge for 2022 is to keep teachers there.

While teachers have escaped the mass layoffs and furlough that have affected other areas of society, they have not escaped the impact of the pandemic. The rapid forced switch to remote teaching; uncertainty about when in-person teaching would resume; anxiety about the personal risk when it did resume; switching back to remote teaching - all have put exceptional strain on teachers. And while many teachers stayed put, convinced that 2021 could not possibly be as difficult as 2020, the fact that for many it has been even harder has caused a lot of soul searching as to whether a long career in the classroom is sustainable. This has not gone unnoticed. In Detroit, schools switched to online learning every Friday, while a number of districts extended school holidays in recognition of the toll the pandemic has taken, even though this has not always gone down well with parents. But this may not be enough. Around one in three teachers in the U.S. are thinking

of quitting the classroom, with a similar proportion in the U.K. looking to follow suit. Even if many of these end up staying put, the scale of the dissatisfaction is deeply worrying.

So far, aside from the temporary measures adopted by some school districts, efforts to avert a staffing crisis have largely focused on trying to increase recruitment. But while the early stages of the pandemic saw an increase in applications for teacher training, recruitment, in the U.K. at least, has subsequently fallen to prepandemic levels. And at these levels, it is barely enough to replace those who retire or leave in a regular year, let alone a year like the one we are in now. Instead, any sustainable approach to staffing must focus on retaining the teachers we have now. And the principal route for doing this is not through extra pay but through improved working conditions. Ironically, in this respect at least the pandemic may actually turn out to be useful. As well as creating extraordinary stress, it has also created an unprecedented opportunity through the influx of technology into the classroom.

Harnessing this to make a teacher’s job easier is one of a number of possible routes to easing workload and encouraging teachers to stay in the profession.

Teachers are not the only ones to have found their job has become harder over the last two years, but given the shortage of teachers even before the pandemic, anything that reduces numbers still further is a big concern. And if the experience of lockdowns and school closures has taught us anything, it is the value of face-toface teaching, and the importance of keeping experienced teachers in the classroom.

By: Nick Morrison, Forbes Magazine

Scholarships Available!

AAEA and our Constituent Groups are proud every year to offer a number of scholarships to students in Arkansas. Applications are available online at theaaea.org/page/scholarships.

AACIA GRADUATING SENIOR SCHOLARSHIP AACIA GRADUATE PROGRAM SCHOLARSHIP AAGEA SCHOLARSHIP AASBO MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AAFC SCHOLARSHIP AASSP SCHOLARSHIP AAMLA SCHOLARSHIP AASEA MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP AASEA LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP AACTEA SCHOLARSHIP ASPMA SCHOLARSHIP C.B. GARRISON SCHOLARSHIP DR. KELLAR F. NOGGLE ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP GARY L. KEES MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP 10

Publication Sneak Peek: School Law Review This segment features content from other AAEA publications. School Law Review is a quarterly publication available to districts on a subscription basis. The following content can be found in the December 2021 edition.

RECENT COURT DECISIONS CONCERNING STUDENTS H.U. v. Northampton Area Sch. Dist., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (October 15, 2021) The parents of a female special needs student assaulted by a male student in a school vehicle sued the district claiming it violated Title IX by failing to protect her from the male student who had a history of violent contact with his peers.

The court affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of the claim, holding that the due process clause does not impose an affirmative duty upon a district to protect students from the acts of another student. The court found that the student’s assault was not foreseeable, such that the school staff in the vehicle could not have anticipated or prevented the assault.

Doe v. Town of Madison, Connecticut Supreme Court (July 30, 2021) Three high school students sued the district and several staff members for damages resulting from their sexual abuse by a teacher based on allegations that the district and staff breached their mandatory duty to report suspicions of child abuse. The district argued that it did not breach its reporting duty because it had no reasons to suspect abuse by the teacher, who had a clean record, was held in high regard by the school community and was known for her professionalism, and there were no

witnesses to any inappropriate actions with students.

The court affirmed the dismissal of the case, holding that the students presented no evidence that anyone in the district had any reason to suspect that either the students were being abused or that the teacher was culpable.

Dayes v. Watertown City Sch. Dist., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York (September 27, 2021) The parents of an African-American 4th grade student claimed that a teacher’s mock slave auction during a lesson on slavery in social studies class violated the child’s constitutional rights. The lesson had the teacher conducting the auction, using black students as slaves and white students as “masters.”

The district countered that the claims should be dismissed because the parents failed to establish that any school official had knowledge of or participated in the lesson.

The court dismissed the claim, holding that the parents’ failure to even allege, much less offer evidence, that school officials knew or participated in the lesson made it impossible for the parents to prove the district engaged in conscience-shocking exercises of power or deliberate indifference. continued

11

B.S. v. Indep. Sch. Dist., U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota (May 18, 2021) The parents of a black student alleged that their child was subject to racial discrimination in violation of Title VI when her former 2nd-grade teacher grabbed her by the arm and ripped her shirt sleeve. The parents offered evidence that the teacher had also repeatedly mistreated another black student, separating him from and belittling him in front of the class and grabbing him by the arm and pulling him, and also had black students sit separately in a group and stating that she was “struggling with that group.”

The court refused to dismiss the case, finding that the plaintiffs had offered sufficient evidence to allow the case to proceed to trial based on the allegations of severe and persistent harassment of the students.

M.T. v. Uniontown Area Sch. Dist., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (May 26, 2021) A high school student filed suit claiming the district was deliberately indifferent in violation of Title IX regarding her complaints that an assistant band director had engaged in inappropriate sexual misconduct toward her and other students. The student contended that the employee was “too friendly and/or

too close” to students, “unprofessional,” and “inappropriate” toward students.

The court dismissed the case, finding that the student’s claims were too vague and lacked sufficient detail to constitute plausible claims under Title IX, and that the student failed to establish that the district was even aware of the alleged misconduct by the employee.

Hermann v. Kirkwood R-7 Sch. Dist., U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (June 1, 2021) A former student filed suit alleging the district violated Title IX when it allegedly enabled the sexual abuse of students by a district employee.

The student claimed that the principal had prior notice of student complaints about an employee’s misconduct and actually witnessed it but failed to appropriately respond.

The court denied the district’s request to dismiss the case, holding that the student’s evidence that the school had a pattern, practice, policy or custom of employees sexually abusing and discriminating against students based on 25 prior incidents involving seven different staff members was sufficient to allow the case to proceed to trial.

Interested in more from School Law Review?

Contact our office at 501-372-1691.

12

Job Site Subscription Service The AAEA Job Board is a calendar-year subscription that assists districts with the ever-increasing challenge of recruiting quality staff. It is a significant resource for educators, both in-state and outof-state, seeking employment in Arkansas schools.

Over 165 school districts are participating in the program, which has been extremely helpful to schools and educators over the years. The site is used year-round and is accessed extensively during the second semester. It is not unusual to see over 400 jobs posted on the Job Board at one time. With an account, school districts may post unlimited job vacancies throughout the year.

To subscribe (by district) or to post job openings, contact Marty Smith, Member Relations Manager, at m.smith@theaaea.org or at 501-372-1691.

Openings District Name

Position

Searcy Public Schools

Assistant Superintendent for Special Programs and Support Services

Stuttgart School Public Schools

High School Principal

Smackover-Norphlet School District

Superintendent

Smackover-Norphlet School District

Middle School Principal

Cedar Ridge School District

Elementary Principal

Pocahontas School District

Maintenance Director

Blytheville School District

Superintendent

Fort Smith School District

Secondary Assistant Principal

Sheridan School District

Superintendent

Jacksonville North Pulaski School District

Principal of Alternative Education Grades 6-12

Jonesboro Public Schools

Elementary Principal

Helena-West Helena School District

Director of Special Education

White Hall School District

Special Education Director

Mena School District

Elementary Principal

El Dorado School District

Director of Transportation

Dumas School District

Technology Director

Bryant Public Schools

Middle School Principal

Lee County School District

Math Coach

Bryant Public Schools

Assistant Superintendent- Secondary Education

Star City School District

Middle School Principal

Mineral Springs School District

Elementary Principal

Rogers Public School District

Superintendent

Visit Our Job Site For More 13

https://arkansas.schoolspring.com/

The AAEA Team

We are here to assist you!

Be a part of something BIGGER than an individual.

Voice

The for School Administrators Training

Networking

Mentoring

Legal Services

Follow us on social media: 219 South Victory, Little Rock, AR 72201

Advocacy

Iiiiiiiiii Iiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii

| 501.372.1691 | www.theaaea.org 14