THE DAILY LEADER / RHONDA DUNAWAY / Brookhaven School superintendent Dr. Ben Cox stands to read a proclamation from Gov. Phil Bryant declaring the week of Feb. 16 through the 22 as Board Member Recognition Week. Board member James Tillman (from left), chairman Willie Harrison, secretary Erin Smith and member Pat Lowery were all present to receive the proclamation.

Superintendent Dr. Ben Cox opened the Brookhaven School Board meeting Tuesday night with a proclamation from Gov. Phil Bryant.

“I hereby proclaim the week of Feb. 16 through 22 as Board Member Recognition Week,” Cox read from the proclamation.

Board members received Valentine’s Day mementos and started the meeting by approving make-up days for the recent ice and snow days.

The board approved Feb. 17, a President’s Day holiday, April 18, Good Friday, May 23, Memorial Day, and scheduled May 27 as a teacher workday.

Cox also had the board’s approval to move forward with the purchase of a home that is between central office and Monticello Street, 325 E. Monticello St., for $25,000.

In other business Cox presented board policies for speech and language screening, a policy of the state of Mississippi Board of Education that states each “school district ensures that students will be screened for articulation, language, voice and fluency disorders before the end of Grade 1.”

He presented the board with a proposed turn around on Daniel L. Jackson Road, west of Interstate 55, a fundraiser with the Diamond Girls of Co-Lin, a change in the April board meeting from April 8 to the 22, a list of personnel for review and finally a Mediation Agreement between the Brookhaven School District and the NAACP. All items were approved.

The mediation agreement is to set a standard in race relations and combat racial profiling by creating relationships with the African American community and school authorities.

Cox said he would be signing the mediation agreement on Feb. 18.

Staff accountant Susan Cochran presented financial statements for the board’s approval, including a list of fixed assets to delete from her accounts. They included a number of items that had been stolen from the band hall. Several items were recovered by the Brookhaven Police Department and some of them were broken and not reusable.

The Brookhaven School Board meets again at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, in the district office at 326 E. Court St. For additional information, visit the school district’s website at www.brookhaven.k12.ms.us.