July 17, 2025

Personnel

At last night’s meeting, the Board approved the hiring of Carissa Orr as administrative intern at Woerther Elementary, effective July 18.

Carissa is replacing Dr. Jennifer Yuede, who has accepted a position outside of the school district. Read more about Ms. Orr.

Superintendent Comments

In his Superintendent Comments at the July 17, 2025, Board of Education meeting, Dr. Curtis Cain shared the following updates:

A total of seven Marquette High students earned top-six finishes at the 2025 Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference, including a team of three students who won the national championship in Business Management. Marquette students also finished third in Intro to Parliamentary Procedure, fifth in Spreadsheet Applications and sixth in Network Design. Rockwood's winners were among only 13 high school groups and individuals from the state of Missouri to earn top-six finishes at the national conference, with the Business Management team serving as Missouri's only national champions. Congratulations to these outstanding Rockwood students.
Crestview Middle eighth-grade history teacher Meghan Menchella is one of six teachers from around the country who earned a 2025 fellowship to the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas. The LMC Fellowship is a merit-based award for educators of all disciplines who value the importance of teaching respect and understanding through project-based learning. Meghan spent the week of June 15-22 in Fort Scott, working with LMC staff and other fellows to gain knowledge, educational resources and support in helping students cultivate a passion for learning by creating projects that initiate positive change. A Eureka High graduate, Meghan was a semifinalist for the 2020 Missouri Teacher of the Year and, in 2023, was named a Milken Educator, one of only 53 in the state to earn the honor since 1996.
Rising Rockwood South Middle sixth-grader Isla Turner just finished nine days of performances as “Young Anna” in the professional stage production of the musical “Frozen” at The Muny in Forest Park. Fellow Rockwood South sixth-grader Avery Stark also appeared in the play as part of the Youth Ensemble, through the Muny Kids program. Congratulations to these standout Rockwood student performers.

To view Dr. Cain's entire Superintendent Comments from the meeting, click here.

Patron Comments

There were no patron comments at last night's meeting.

Policy Updates

The following policy revisions were approved by the Board:

Policy 2613 (New) - Student Electronic Personal Communications Devices

Please note, while Rockwood had already successfully piloted and had a practice in place that phones and personal devices should not be seen or heard during instructional time, a new state law, Missouri Senate Bill 68, expands these regulations in all Missouri schools.

At its July 17 meeting, the Board of Education voted to approve a new policy that aligns with this state law. This means that personal devices will not be seen or heard from the start to the end of the school day. As a result, outside of a school-designated emergency, student personal devices must remain off and out of sight during the entire school day. This updated policy will help minimize distractions and foster an even more focused learning environment for all our students. Additional information about this new policy (and state statute) will be shared directly by Rockwood schools with staff, students and parents.

Agenda Items

Last night’s meeting only consisted of Consent Agenda Items.

Board Discussion

Review of August 7, 2025 Board of Education Meeting Date - Board members and Cabinet members reviewed the August 7, 2025 Board of Education meeting date. View the planning calendar.

**Board meeting agendas are available to view the Saturday before regularly scheduled Board meetings on BoardDocs.**