By Tracy McCormick-Dishman
Nassau County School Board members will consider a revised civility policy at their Thursday meeting that restructures how public comments are handled during board meetings.
After lengthy debate during Monday’s workshop, board members agreed to allow residents three minutes for general public comment and three additional minutes to address specific action items—both to be heard before any votes are cast.
The new format moves public comment earlier in meetings, placing it after the superintendent’s spotlight presentation and agenda adoption but before board deliberations begin.
“Once we’ve cast the vote, if they do want to discuss the topic, what is the point of talking about it?” said Board Member Kristi Simpkins. “The vote’s already been cast.”
Board Attorney Brett Steger worked through multiple versions of the policy language with board members. The compromise effectively gives speakers up to six minutes total if they choose to address both general topics and specific agenda items — double the current three-minute limit.
The policy also includes provisions for maintaining order during meetings, with the board chair having authority to conclude a speaker’s time if rules are violated. Handouts must be given to staff or the school resource officer rather than directly to board members.
The final version will be available for public review at Thursday’s meeting.
Job description changes address workforce shortages
The board discussed changes to job requirements for entry-level positions to address ongoing staffing shortages.
Proposed revisions to ground maintenance technician, custodial worker, and food service worker positions would initially have required employees without high school diplomas or GEDs to complete a district-supported GED program within one year.
“We had three substitute workers who are probably some of our best workers, and they just couldn’t get in because they didn’t have a GED or a high school diploma,” Director of Food Services Trevor Kennedy explained. “So right there we missed out on three very good employees.”
However, after discussion about the one-year requirement and whether a GED was truly necessary for these positions, board members agreed to modify the language to make GED completion optional rather than mandatory, while still offering district support for those who wish to pursue it.
School board member Shannon Hogue noted her father didn’t obtain a GED until his 40s and questioned whether the requirement was necessary for positions focused on manual labor skills.
Police therapy dog policy
Board members will consider a policy establishing guidelines for a therapy dog that has been gifted to the Nassau County School District.
The dog, which has been placed with School Resource Officer Schmelling, was made possible through sheriff’s associations and other organizations throughout the state. The officer recently completed a week of training with the dog.
“This was gifted to the Nassau County School District,” Superintendent of Nassau County School District Dr. Kathy Burns said. “The dog’s name is Chief.”
The therapy dog could interact with students in ESE classes and other classes throughout the district. Burns noted there is data showing such programs can increase attendance, among other benefits.
“It’s just another little asset for the school district to use with our students and our schools,” she said.
The policy item is the first step in developing procedures and guidelines for the dog’s use in schools, including determining which students can or cannot interact with the dog. The dog is not yet ready to be introduced into schools.
Officer Schmelling is the dog’s caretaker, and it lives at his home at no expense to the school district.
District seeks in-house legal counsel
Burns raised the possibility of hiring a chief of legal services for the district, a position that hasn’t existed since Ray Poole left the district nine years ago.
Since then, Board Attorney Brett Steger has been handling both school board attorney duties and day-to-day district legal work — a workload Burns said has become unsustainable.
“Besides being the school board attorney, he’s really become our attorney on a daily basis on top of his own practice and everything else he does,” Burns said. “I appreciate Brett Steger that I can call him, stop by his office and he’s always available and then never complains about it. But the truth is, we are requiring him to do two jobs.”
Burns noted the district has been involved in several legal matters in recent years, including a lengthy federal lawsuit, and more issues are pending.
Steger explained that most of the work he currently handles should properly be done by district counsel rather than the board attorney.
“There’s going come a time when there’s a conflict of interest between the board attorney and the school district,” Steger said. “The district needs to have its own independent counsel, and 95% of what I do is really district related more than board related.”
He explained that matters like the federal lawsuit, concurrency issues, books challenges, and ESE due process hearings would all typically be handled by district counsel, while the board attorney would focus on items directly before the board such as expulsion hearings and collective bargaining.
Steger noted it would be more cost-effective to have a salaried in-house attorney than to continue contracting for these services.
Board member Joe Zimmerman expressed strong support for the idea, noting that Nassau County School District is “one of the largest government bureaucracies in northeast Florida” with a budget roughly 10 times the size of the city of Fernandina Beach.
“Even at that, it represents 0.0006% of our budget to have something like that for our district that is so super important,” Zimmerman said. “So I am 100% behind this.”
Burns distributed documents showing legal expenses over the past two years, though she noted the figures don’t include all of Steger’s work, particularly related to the federal lawsuit.
The item was presented for future discussion, with no immediate action planned.
Hickory Park agreement extended
The board will consider a 25-year extension of the district’s lease agreement with the City of Fernandina Beach for Hickory Park.
The agreement was discussed with city officials at a meeting last year when the city was constructing restrooms at the park. City officials wanted to ensure the district would continue the long-term lease arrangement.
Board Attorney Steger said he and city attorney Tammi Prince have exchanged multiple versions of the agreement, working through various provisions. One item still being finalized is a right of first refusal provision that would allow the school district, upon reasonable notice, to reserve Hickory Park for district use.
“I’m going to talk to Ms. Prince about that tomorrow, Wednesday,” Steger said. “I do not anticipate there being any problem with that.”
The agreement is expected to be finalized for Thursday’s vote.
Other business
Board members will also consider:
- Administrative salary increases for district administrators, plus millage supplements
- Ratification of contracts with the Nassau Education Support Bargaining Association (NESBA) and Nassau Teachers Association (NTA), pending final union votes
- A bus suspension for a student with multiple behavioral infractions
- Multiple administrative rule updates required by state legislation
- An e-bike policy for students
- Several change orders for school construction projects
- Payroll position upgrades to better reflect actual job responsibilities
The regular board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday at the district office, 1201 Atlantic Ave., Fernandina Beach.
Joint meeting with county commission scheduled
Board members approved scheduling a joint meeting with the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners for Jan. 27, 2026.
Burns noted that meetings with the county, cities and other local entities typically begin at the start of the year, and the county meeting is traditionally held on the fourth Tuesday of January.
tdishman@nassaunewsline.net
