LASD board to meet to consider student reinstatement, new hires.

LASD board to meet to consider student reinstatement, new hires.

LUDINGTON — The Ludington Area School District Board of Education will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 28 at 7:30 a.m. The three items of the meeting include:

• Student reinstatement request for the 2019-2020 school year.
• Foster Elementary dean of students non-union contract approval.
• O.J. DeJonge Middle School at-risk interventionist non-union contract approval.

Reinstatement: A student, who was expelled from the district during the 2018-2019 school year, per state mandated guidelines for student discipline, according to a memorandum from Superintendent Jason Kennedy.  has requested to be reinstated to the school district. State law requires that at least a committee meets to review the reinstatement within 10 days of the request. Because the next regularly scheduled school meeting is more than 10 days, the special meeting has been called. The board will meet in closed session to discuss the request, as allowed under the Michigan Open Meetings Act, but will take action in open session, again, according to the OMA.

Foster dean of students: Kennedy is recommending the hiring of Tim Hansen as the Foster Elementary School dean of students for the 2019-2020 school year. Hansen has most recently worked as dean of students at Hart Public Schools’ Spitler Elementary. He is a graduate of Ludington High School and lives in the LASD. He has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Calvin College and a master’s degree in educational administration from Central Michigan University.

“Tim proved to the interview team that he had the knowledge and the experience to start without hesitation with a week to go before school starts,” Kennedy wrote.

Middle school at-risk interventionist: Kennedy is recommending the hiring of Matt McDonald as the O.J. DeJonge Middle School at-risk interventionist for the 2019-2020 school year.

McDonald is retired and most recently served as Hart High School principal. He also worked as an assistant principal and athletic director in Hart, along with working at McBain Public Schools, Byron Center Public Schools, and Orchard View Public Schools.

“Matt will support the middle school in much the same manner that Mark Boon supports the high school,” Kennedy stated.

The board meets at the central business office.