Troy students won’t hear of HPV vaccine at school

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Updated: September 29, 2011 12:45AM

JOLIET — No action was taken by the Troy School Board last week on policy revisions that would inform students of the availability of inoculations for the human papilloma virus.

The statement pertaining to HPV and the vaccine will be deleted from the revised policy and it will be brought back to the board for its first reading at the June meeting.

Board member Cynthia Jo Rasmussen Grabavoy said suggested revisions to the policy included a statement indicating that the Department of Public Health will provide all female students entering sixth grade information regarding HPV and the vaccine.

“The HPV vaccine is subject to controversy and there are arguments on both sides as to whether this vaccine is advisable for young girls,” Grabavoy said after the meeting.

Grabavoy said the district is not in the business of making or suggesting medical decisions for students.

In other action, the board had the second reading and adoption of a revised policy pertaining to instruction and teaching of controversial issues. The revised policy proposed that governmental officials who address Troy students during instructional time should not include political advertising or advocacy nor use the time as a political forum during a time period close to an election.

The board also had the first reading of a revised policy dealing with operational services, purchases and contracts.

Joanne Schochat, assistant superintendent-general counsel, said some changes have occurred in statutes that affect the district’s authority to enter into contracts.

Among the major changes, she said, are:

The no-bid contracts contract limit has been raised from $10,000 to $25,000.

The small contracts of vendors providing vending machines, pop machines, class pictures and the like must be publicly reported, and the district must explain how the revenue was used.

Diane Cooper, business manager, said she the Federal Emergency Management Agency grant process to get $27,388 to offset the $52,340 the school district spent on “labor, equipment usage and contracted snow removal services” during the February blizzard.