School Board Meeting Wrap-Up

The following is from the March 9 meeting of the Laguna Beach Unified School District Board of Education.

Informed Consent Registration

Laguna Beach High School Principal Don Austin presented the second-year pilot program Open/Informed Consent Registration, designed to help students and their families make the most informed decision about which classes to register for.

Assistant Principal Gretchen Ernsdorf and guidance counselors Nancy Morrissey, Tristen Gire and Jeff Bockert, who were instrumental in developing the new program, further explained the process and benefits.

Registration packets for the 2010-11 school year, they said, will be distributed at the end of the month for students and their families to review before the students register online at the library, with the assistance of counselors, administrators and teachers who will make sure they understand the level of difficulty and requirements for each course so they choose the right ones.

A consent form for Advanced Placement and Honors courses will be submitted separately.

The benefits of the program, they continued, will be that students will enroll in the proper classes at the start of the year, allowing them to get into a study routine quickly and minimize any hurdles; it will familiarize them with the online registration process that they will be required to use in college; and it gives students the ability to discuss their options with their families and teachers, and acquire the necessary date to make the right course choice.

“The process also holds onto the main benefit of the choice remaining with the students’ families,” Austin said.

Committee formed on nutrition issues

Supt. Robert Fraisse announced the district’s new goal to improve nutrition and wellness for students.

The Emerging Trends in School Cuisine goal will identify promising practices in the area of food services in the California school systems and implement those that hold promise for Laguna’s schools.

Normal Shelton, assistant superintendent of business services, will chair the committee assisted by Food Services Supervisor Debra Appel. The committee will study literature and research practices in efforts to create a menu with tasty, nutritious food outside of what is offered for Laguna Beach students.

In the assessment of these practices, fiscal concerns, nutrition facts, marketing challenges, labor codes (including prohibition against contracting out), and school operations priorities will be reviewed.

The committee plans to bring recommendations to the board for consideration and possible pilot actions by the fall.

Shelton commended the visionary leadership of Appel, who was on the forefront of creating school meal menus that are delicious and nutritious while eliminating unhealthy beverage and snack choices from school sites.

Tammy Skenderian, whose child attends Top of the World Elementary School, expressed her appreciation to the board.

“This is a hugely important issue and it is the responsibility of schools to teach nutrition and enforce it,” she said. “Thank you for looking into this and helping our kids to make healthy choices.”

Skenderian also extended her help, as well as that of other parents who support the effort, with the research required to attain the goals.