It was a Monday night comprised primarily of first and second readings of budget and policy for Oakdale Joint Unified School Board members. With just one final meeting remaining in the 2016-17 school year, agenda items were generally uneventful in the way of general business. However, what was eventful was the ‘Public Comments’ portion of the meeting, which managed to occupy as much time as the overall agenda. Community members addressed the board with varying concerns, pertaining to their students and policy.
As is customary with Public Comment no actions were taken on matters presented to the board, however each speaker was addressed and thanked by Board President Barbara Shook at the conclusion of their presentation
Oakdale community member James Gilbert, spoke in regards to the topic of bullying, a problem that Gilbert shared his son has spent some time trying to work through in the most respectful and appropriate manner.
“This is not a good idea to have a cookie cutter punishment for unique situations such as this one,” Gilbert shared with the board in the way of disciplining individuals in the area of bullying.
Gilbert went on to state that he himself would be more than happy to partner with the district in the way of implementing strategies to alleviate what he sees as a growing problem.
“I would really like to see a real campaign against bullying,” he said. “This is going on everywhere.”
Board member may put the item on the agenda for further discussion at a later date.
As the school year comes to a close in the next couple of weeks, Superintendent Marc Malone concluded the meeting by drawing attention to a number of upcoming events, including various graduation ceremonies.
The following are dates and times for OJUSD graduations: Charter Graduation, May 24, 5 p.m. at Magnolia Auditorium; East Stanislaus/Valley Oak, May 24, 7 p.m., Oakdale High Gym; Oakdale Junior High School, May 25, 7 p.m. OHS Corral; Oakdale High School, May 26, 7 p.m. OHS Corral.
The final school board meeting of the school year will be hosted on Monday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. The public meeting will be conducted at Oakdale City Council Chambers, 277 N. Second Ave., Oakdale.
