At the meeting of the Okeechobee County School Board on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Superintendent Dylan Tedders began...
Join our family of readers for as little as $10 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Already have an account? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
Please log in to continue |
OKEECHOBEE — At the meeting of the Okeechobee County School Board on Tuesday, Sept. 9, Superintendent Dylan Tedders began by recognizing members of the community whom he described as being “Instrumental in helping us welcome our new teachers to the district.” Okeechobee welcomed 33 new teachers this year! Every year, before the new school year begins, all of the new teachers are gathered together and are given information and guidance, as well as given the opportunity to interact with the community organizations that help organize the event.
The organizations recognized for being part of the New Teacher Orientation were: Christ Fellowship, Delta Kappa Gamma, the Education Foundation, Heartland Educational Consortium, MidFlorida Credit Union, Okeechobee County Education Association, and Our Village Okeechobee.
Several staff members were also recognized at the meeting for contributing their efforts to the Health & Wellness Fair held at Osceola Middle School on Aug. 1 for all school board staff. Those recognized were: Amanda Wells, Amy Davis, Ana Rhoden, Angela Hodges, Ashlan Rhuda, Crystal White, Heather Siler-Dobbs, Hilda Medrano, Jakeb Blevins, Janet Pineda, Katherine Williams, Maria Olivares, Megan Campbell, Melisa Jahner, Steffanie Immerfall, and Tiffany Kane.
Two school district retirees were also recognized: Kenneth Buckner and Angela Hodges, Kenneth Buckner was hired in 1999 and spent 26 years with the district as a driver’s education teacher and athletic director at OHS, Angela Hodges was hired in 1996 and was with the district for 29 years as a program specialist and in financial services.
The meeting also marked the final public hearing for local millage rates. They voted to approve a tax rate of 3.136 mills, an increase of 0.040 of the 2024-2025 millage rate of 3.096. The operating budget totaled $75,355,737. The capital projects budget totals $69,249,143. The combined total budget for the 2025-2026 school year - including food service, federal programs, and ESSER funds - is $161,993,185.
One mill equals $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of property value.
The board approved an amendment to policy regarding the administration of medication to students. One of the medications mentioned in the amendment is epinephrine. The policy manual states that all schools may purchase and maintain a supply of epinephrine autoinjectors to use when a student is having an anaphylactic reaction and that all schools shall provide training to an adequate number of personnel on how to recognize anaphylactic reaction and how to administer epinephrine.
Another medication mentioned in the amended policy manual is emergency opioid antagonist (“EOA”). Many know this as Narcan, a life-saving drug administered to those suffering an opioid overdose. Superintendent Tedders explained that while Okeechobee Schools do not yet stock an EQA, they are required to have a policy and procedures on how to handle it and staff would need to be trained on how to recognize opioid overdose and administer the drug. Currently only the School Resource Officers carry it and are permitted to use it. The school board has not yet determined whether or not they will begin keeping EQAs on campus but Tedders seemed concerned stating, “We haven’t needed it yet but we know how things are changing ... we have to decide over the next month what this is going to look like, if we keep maybe a couple of doses. Just in case.”
The board also approved the Suicide Prevention Awareness Proclamation. In the United States September is recognized as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. According the state of Florida 3,558 people lost their lives to suicide in 2023, which makes it the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34. The Okeechobee County School Board has a team of social work and mental health supports available to any students or staff who may be showing signs of mental health conditions. The Okeechobee County School Board proclamation states: The Okeechobee County School Board is committed to ensuring that those in need, including students and staff, have access to services healthcare providers trained in the best practices to reduce suicide risk.
