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June 17, 2004
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June 17, 2004 |
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School board business— Handbook changes limit seniors’ off-campus lunch At its meeting June 10, the Yellow Springs school board approved the district’s 2004–05 student handbook, which includes policy changes concerning students leaving school property during lunch and the student dress code. In the past, juniors and seniors have been allowed to leave YSHS campus during the 35-minute lunch period, but this year high school staff recommended all students remain at school during lunch. Seniors now may apply for a lunch pass after the first quarter if they are in good academic and disciplinary standing. Many students drive at excessive speeds to leave town at noon for lunch and return in time for class at 12:35 p.m., Principal John Gudgel said during the meeting. YSHS students have the lowest rate of seatbelt use in all of Greene County, he said, which exacerbates the potential danger involved. Students are not likely to favor the change, Gudgel said, saying that he hopes to have a meeting at the beginning of the coming school year to discuss the issue with students and parents. Board member Bill Firestone expressed concern about allowing some seniors to leave after the first quarter and suggested that the board prohibit students from leaving Yellow Springs during lunch. The board deferred to the staff-recommended change until further discussion with the school community. The board also agreed to increase the disciplinary ramifications for digressing from the dress code, which, Gudgel said, some students adhere to only loosely. Certain students wear clothing that exposes too much skin, he said. The new code now states that students who violate the dress code for the third time will be sent home, and punishment would be decided at the principal’s discretion. Board members said that students must understand the messages their appearance communicate and learn to dress respectably. Other changes to the handbook included increasing video class fees from $15 to $25 and Advanced Placement exam fees to $82; changing disciplinary Saturday school to Wednesday school; reducing the truancy limit to nine days per semester; and discontinuing Model U.N., Project Charlie and the Alchemists as co-curricular activities. In other school board business: • The school board agreed to hire Desiree Nickell under a one-year limited contract to teach ninth- and 11th-grade English. The board selected Nickell from a pool of 50 inquiries. She is the former director of the international baccalaureate program at Meadowdale High School and has long been involved with the Yellow Springs Education Endowment and has served as support staff in Yellow Springs schools for several years. • The board agreed to hire teachers Ellen Guest and Tracy Evans for the 2004 summer tutorial program in reading and math at a rate of $25 an hour. This year 60 students have signed up for the program, which runs from July 26 to Aug. 15. • The board approved a one-year limited contract for Amy Huneck as a homebound tutor on an as-needed basis at $20.10 an hour. • The board accepted the resignations of science teacher Emily Riley, resource teacher Melissa Sommer and secretary Christy Carty. Language arts teacher Aurelia Blake resigned as a North Central Accreditation reader/evaluator. The NCA reader program will now have four readers, at $21 an hour, instead of five, for the same total of $800. • The board approved the following list of substitute teachers for the 2004–05 school year: Jennifer Ater, John Barber, Theresa Barley, Valerie Blackwell-Truitt, Mary Butler-Jones, Maria Calabrese, Dorothy Call, Lyle Chambers, Lori Clark, Brent Coeling, Paula Dale, Julia Davis, James Dearwester, Sharon Gilmore, Donna Haller, Corinne Hammons, Robert Hasek, Jason Hesley, Christine Hess, Rebecca Holihan, Jamie Holster, Charles Hutcheson, Susan Hyde, Phillip Irvin, Margaret Jackson, Robin Jordan, Mary Kirkpatrick, Mary Kosheleff, Argentino Landaburu, Doris Lopez, Jeffrey Lucas, Cheryl Lyons, Dorothy Mackey, Michelle Miles, Julie Miller, Lynn Mishler, Peter Mitas, Terri Moutjoy, Nicholas Myers, Miri Nasoff, Jodie Necaise, Marnie Neumann, Daniel O’Kane, Amber Odle, Laura Patterson, Ann Piercy, Carolyn Pinkston, Elizabeth Price, Jeff Robertson, Lance Rudegeair, Cyprian Sajabi, Brandon Speeg, Nancy Vanderglas, Michael White, Gary Wilkinson and David Willis. Substitutes are paid $70 a day and $35 for a half day. • The board agreed to allocate $500 for summer school tuition for students in need of financial support. The funds for this program are generally covered by anonymous donations and profits from the McKinney School Chili Cook-off. • The board approved a $305,000 contract with the Education Services Center for the 2004–05 school year. Students with disabilities and special needs cost $27,000 per year, the majority of which is teacher-related billing. • None of the four construction bids for the district’s new pole barn at YSHS came back within the $30,000 budgeted for the project, Superintendent Tony Armocida reported. Armocida said that he planned to rebid the project in the fall and start construction by November, but that the district’s funds were “a little lean” for what, he said, is closer to a $40,000 project, even with money-saving modifications. • The board agreed to cancel its next regular meeting on June 24.
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