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Frewsburg Board Names New Member

FREWSBURG — A resident of the Frewsburg community who has routinely attended local school board meetings the last two years has been appointed to be a new board member.

Earlier this month, the board approved Carrie Graham to be a new board member after the resignation of John Spacht in July. Shelly O’Boyle, Frewsburg superintendent, said Graham will serve the rest of Spacht’s term, which is set to expire June 30, 2022.

“Mrs. Graham’s commitment to attending (board) meetings placed her in a position to quickly acclimate to this role and to be up to speed with the current work and initiatives of the district,” O’Boyle said.

Spacht had to resign from the board after being appointed as the shared Southwestern Central School District and Frewsburg Central School District transportation supervisor.

“This appointment necessitated the resignation from his voluntary role on the board since district employees cannot be Board of Education members,” O’Boyle said.

In other business, O’Boyle provided the board with an update on how the first day of school went including bussing and construction. She said the capital project, which includes paving, roofing and an updated kitchen/cafeteria and community room at the middle/high school and remodeled fourth, fifth and sixth grade classrooms and gymnasium at the Robert H. Jackson Elementary School, has been a bit challenging due to long lead times for items such as doors, blinds and cabinetry as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, elementary students and teachers were able to enjoy the brand new classrooms and lockers on the first day of school. The middle/high school cafeteria is still under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of September.

During the update, O’Boyle also provided the board with a summary of the parent meetings that she held regarding the New York state mandate requiring students to wear masks in school. She proceeded to provide the board with the recommendations from the district’s insurance company and legal counsel, in which they advised the district to follow state and department of health mandates or risk liability and loss of state funding.

“School districts are faced with frustrated parents on both sides of the mask issue,” O’Boyle said. “In a time when control has been taken from local school districts and we must follow the mandates set forth by New York state, we are so fortunate that our parents and community are committed to working together despite having opposing viewpoints.”

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