LAPEL — While the remainder of the current school year wraps up online later this month, the Board of School Trustees for Frankton-Lapel Community Schools is looking to the future with plans on upgrading a number of its facilities.

In a construction hearing during the April 16 meeting — conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic — board members approved the concept of renovations to Lapel High School and Lapel Middle School, as well as Frankton Junior-Senior High School and Frankton Elementary School.

“We are in the process of securing the funds and getting bids for the work. The details of the project will be flushed out once bids for the major projects are secured,” Assistant Superintendent Sterling Boles said via email.

The school corporation is looking to install sports turf on the football fields at both Lapel High School and Frankton Junior-Senior High School. The project includes moving the football field at Frankton back to the high school. Frankton also is scheduled to get a new concession/ticket booth/locker room building.

Plans for Lapel Middle School include converting two shop classrooms into four classrooms.

Other updates are slated for Frankton schools, including remodeling of science labs/classrooms at the junior-senior high school and an improvement to the front parking area at the elementary and a new drive for buses.

At the April meeting, the board also approved the calendar for the 2021-22 school year.

The 2021-22 year will begin with Organizational/Inservice Day (teachers only) on Aug. 9 with Teacher’s Work Day to follow on Aug. 10. The first day for students will be Aug. 11.

The school corporation has set Sept. 3, Oct. 13 — which will also be Parent/Teacher Conference day from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. — and March 7 as scheduled eLearning days.

School will be out on the following dates: Labor Day (Sept. 6), Fall Break (Oct. 18-22), Thanksgiving Break (Nov. 24-26), Winter Break (Dec. 21-Jan. 5), Feb. 7, April 1, Spring Break (April 4-8).

The end of the first nine-week grading period is Oct. 8. The end of the first semester is Dec. 21. The third nine-week grading period ends on March 11.

The last day of school is May 26. Teachers Records Day is May 27. Graduation is scheduled for June 5. Frankton graduation is at 2 p.m. Lapel commencement is at 5 p.m.

The 2020-21 calendar was approved at the board’s November 2019 meeting and is currently scheduled to begin with teacher-only days on Aug. 11-12 with students’ first day slated for Aug. 13.

Additionally, at the April meeting, the board approved English/Language Arts series and a World Languages series textbooks. The books will be adopted for the 2020-21 school year.

The ELA book is Into Literature, published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for 6-12 grade levels. Mundo Real Second Edition, published by Edinumen USA, will be used for Spanish classes for grades 9-12. Entre Culture and En Parlant, published by Wayside Publishing, will be for French students in grades 9-12.

The next Frankton-Lapel board meeting is scheduled to be conducted virtually on Thursday, May 14.