photo by: Shelley Hanson

Marshall County Board of Education members Duane Miller and Brenda Coffield look over information during the board’s meeting Tuesday.

Marshall County Board of Education members approved the destruction of meeting minutes and personnel and financial files that have been digitized.

During a regular meeting Tuesday, board members President John Miller, Vice President Christie Robison, Duane Miller, Lori Kestner and Brenda Coffield approved destroying hard copies of historic board minutes already scanned and electronically filed. A similar measure was approved for personnel and financial files.

Superintendent Shelby Haines said the district has been working on scanning old documents for many years. Once scanned in, they are indexed so the materials can be recalled when needed again.

“We’ve been working on scanning for quite some time. Years ago, we started with special education files,” she said.

Haines noted the amount of files are beginning to outgrow the available storage space at the board office. She said that, by law, hard copies of certain documents must be kept for different amounts of years. The district’s legal counsel is helping make sure it will be done correctly. The hard copies will be shredded by a couple different companies, she said.

Meanwhile, the board also approved a memorandum of understanding between the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Council AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program and the school district. Haines said funding for the program was recently restored. It pays for two different women who have volunteered at West Liberty Elementary School and McNinch Elementary School for many years, she added.

According to MOVRC, “the AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program is a volunteer program that connects individuals 55 and older with children and youth who have special needs or who are at risk.

“The purpose of the program is to provide support and mentorship by pairing experienced seniors with young individuals, often in schools, daycare centers, and other community settings.

“The program offers a tax-free stipend of $4 an hour, mileage reimbursement, accident and liability insurance while serving, recognition, and opportunities to socialize.”

The next board meeting is 6:30 p.m. Oct. 14 at the board office.