A RESOLUTION CERTIFYING AN EXECUTIVE MEETING OF THE SCHOOL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NORFOLK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF THE VIRGINIA FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

WHEREAS, the School Board of the City of Norfolk has convened a closed meeting on this date pursuant to an affirmative recorded vote and in accordance with the provisions of The Virginia Freedom of Information Act; and

WHEREAS, Section 2.2-3712 of the Code of Virginia requires a certification by the School Board of the City of Norfolk that such closed meeting was conducted in conformity with Virginia law;

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the School Board of the City of Norfolk hereby certifies that, to the best of each member's knowledge, (i) only public business matters lawfully exempted from open meeting requirements by Virginia law were discussed in the executive meeting to which this certification resolution applies, and (ii) only such public business matters as were identified in the motion convening the executive meeting were heard, discussed, or considered by the School Board of the City of Norfolk.

Textbook Adoption (English, Grs. 6-12, Health/PE, AP World History) (vote required)

• Copy of Last Year’s Board Approved Plan for comparison
• 3FTF and 3619 Budget Worksheets
• IDEA FY21 Annual Plan Application for approval
• Special Education Annual Plan Presentation

RESOLUTION

SCHOOL BOARD OF THE CITY OF NORFOLK

A RESOLUTION TEMPORARILY SUSPENDING SCHOOL BOARD POLICIES WAIVED BY ACTIONS OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, THE COMMONWEALTH’S SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS, THE COMMONWEALTH’S BOARD OF EDUCATION, THE COMMONWEALTH’S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC DISASTER.

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WHEREAS, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a pandemic; and

WHEREAS, on March 12, 2020, Governor Ralph S. Northam issued Executive order Fifty-One declaring a state of emergency. That Executive Order stated that the anticipated effects of COVID-19 constitute a disaster and directed local governments, which include school boards, to render appropriate assistance to prepare for the event, to alleviate any conditions resulting from the situation, and to implement recovery and mitigation operations and activities so as to return impacted areas to pre-event conditions as much as possible; and

WHEREAS, Executive Order Fifty-One authorized executive branch agencies, including the Virginia Department of Education, to waive any state regulation as appropriate; and

WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency in response to the spread of COVID-19; and

WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, Governor Ralph S. Northam ordered all K-12 schools to close for a minimum of two weeks; and

WHEREAS, on March 13, 2020, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction encouraged local school divisions to consider options and ideas to engage students in reading, thinking, and learning while schools are closed; and

WHEREAS, on March 18, 2020, HR 6201 was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by the President. HR 6201, now PL 116-127, contains the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act both of which will be in effect until December 31, 2020; and

WHEREAS, on March 23, 2020, Governor Northam issued Executive Order Fifty-Three, which closed all public schools throughout the Commonwealth for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year; and

WHEREAS, on March 30, 2020, the United States Department of Education gave permission to Virginia to cancel federally mandated Standards of Learning tests during the 2019-2020 school year; and

WHEREAS, on March 27, 2020, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction stated, in Superintendents Memo 082-20a, Attachment A (which was later converted into a website and is being updated frequently), that he will provide as much flexibility as is prudent and allowable by the Code of Virginia for students currently enrolled and graduating with the 2019-2020 cohort; and

WHEREAS, PL 116-127 also contains the COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response Act which gives the Secretary of Agriculture the authority to grant waivers related to the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. § 1760(l)), which authority expires on September 30, 2020; and

WHEREAS, Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction has announced that numerous regulatory requirements will be waived, as authorized by Executive Order Fifty One; and

WHEREAS, on April 2, 2020, the Virginia Board of Education indicated its approval for waiving certain regulatory requirements regarding awarding standard units of credit and locally awarded verified credits; and

WHEREAS, additional waivers of existing state and federal regulations and changes to state and federal laws may be announced during the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, many of the policies of the School Board of the City of Norfolk (hereinafter “School Board”) reflect requirements of state and federal laws and regulations that have already been waived or may be waived because of the pandemic; and

WHEREAS, the School Board’s usual practice is to make changes to policies only after the proposed policy change is considered at two school board meetings; and

WHEREAS, the School Board needs to be able to adapt school division operations to rapid changes in law and regulation; and

WHEREAS, enforcing the requirements of existing policies could result in outcomes inconsistent with current laws and regulations as they exist after waivers; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the School Board of the City of Norfolk:

Section 1:- That the School Board suspends such policies or provisions within policies which reflect legal and/or regulatory requirements that have been waived by the governmental authority which enacted those requirements.

Section 2:- That the suspension of policies of the School Board is in effect for the duration of time that the waiver of laws and/or regulations reflected in the policies are waived.

Section 3:- That the superintendent is directed to inform the School Board of any regulations that are suspended by the superintendent and the duration of such suspensions.

Section 4:- That the School Board will comply with temporary laws and regulations without enacting policies to implement those laws and regulations.

Section 5:- That this Resolution shall be in effect from and after its adoption and shall continue as long as the coronavirus pandemic or for six months.