Superintendent Teresa Russell congratulated Elliot Garrett for earning membership into the HHS 30+ Club for making a 30 on the ACT. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Art Garrett.

School board approves policies; agrees to purchase new buses

 The Haywood County School Board met in regular session on Tuesday, October 11. Chairman Harold Garrett opened the meeting with the second reading of 11 policies. Board members also approved three out-of-state trips for Haywood High School students, a textbook adoption committee, a number of budget amendments and the purchase of four buses. At the request of Superintendent Teresa Russell, they also heard an assessment of Haywood County Schools’ facility needs, presented by Kenneth Emerson, Executive Director of Physical Operations and Transportation.

Board members approved the following policies as presented on second reading. The changes board members discussed during the first reading have been made.

• #2.200 – Annual Operating Budget – Includes preparation procedures, hearing and reviews and final adoption procedure. “The board shall submit a proposed budget in accordance with the budget timeline established by the board and county commission. If a budget timeline is not agreed upon, the board shall submit a proposed budget to the County Commission no later than May 1^st. If the proposed budget is rejected, the board shall submit a revised budget proposal within 10 business days.”
• #4.210 – Credit Recovery – “The director of schools shall ensure that credit recovery facilitators receive training regarding course organization, online instruction management and related technology. Credit recover teachers shall comply with all State Board of Education certification requirements.”

• #4.211 – Work Based Learning Program – “Students shall have access to a system of structured work-based learning (WBL) experiences that allow them to apply classroom theories to practical problems as well as explore career options.”

• #4.605 – Graduation Requirements – “The program of studies shall include areas required by the State Board of Education. Before high school graduation, every student shall: (1) Achieve the specified 22 units of credit; (2) Take the required end of course exams; (3) Have satisfactory records of attendance and conduct; (4) Take the ACT or SAT in the 11^th grade; and (5) Complete a United States civics test.” Also addressed in the policy are guidelines for special education students, student load, and early graduation.

• #4.606 – Graduation Activities – “Students who have met all graduation requirements on the day of graduation and students who are within two (2) or fewer credits of meeting all requirements and can complete the requirements during the summer may be recognized at the graduation ceremony.  If extenuating circumstances exist at any school, the matter shall be presented to the Board prior to graduation activities.” It also says, “Students are expected to participate in graduation activities and graduation apparel shall be determined by the administration of each school.”

• #5.301 – Emergency and Legal Leave – This policy addresses emergency leave, jury duty and court appearances for teachers and support personnel.

• #6.3071 – Student Alcohol and Drug Testing – This policy states, “The possession and/or use of illegal drugs, and the misuse of prescription drugs is prohibited. The distribution, abuse, or misuse of over the counter medications or other chemicals or substances is likewise prohibited. Students will be notified in writing at the beginning of each school year or at the time of enrollment that they shall be subject to testing for drugs and alcohol during the school year.” It also addresses reasonable suspicion drug testing, random drug testing of students participating in extracurricular activities, the drug-testing process, and penalties.

• #6.409 – Child Abuse and Neglect – This policy has the following change: “The director of schools/designee shall develop reporting procedures, including sample indicators of abuse and neglect, and shall disseminate the procedures to all school personnel. However, nothing in the reporting procedures shall eliminate the staff members legal responsibility to directly make a report to the authorities stated above. Strict confidentiality should be maintained by all school personnel involved in the process.  School personnel should not discuss their suspicions with the child or the child’s parents for risk of damaging Child Protective Service’s investigation of the case”.

• #6.413 – Prevention and Treatment of Sports Related Concussions – “This policy adopts the guidelines and other pertinent information and forms developed by the Tennessee Department of Health to inform and educate coaches, school administrators, student athletes, and parents/guardians of the nature, risk and symptoms of concussions and head injuries. These guidelines and materials may be viewed on the Department of Health’s website and shall be made available to interested parties through the Central Office.” It also addresses required training for athletic director and coaches.

• #6.503 – Homeless Students – This policy gives the definition of homeless students and addresses enrollment for them, as well as placement, records, and services.

• #5.310 – Vacations and Holidays – This policy outlines the length of vacations for employees with pay as outlined in the calendar (teachers), and for other employees based on the number of months they work each year and how they are accumulated. It also lists the holidays for the year.

During her monthly Celebration of Haywood County Schools, Superintendent Russell recognized Anderson and Haywood Elementary for wining 2^nd and 3^rd, respectively, in the Scarecrow Contest on the square. The Scarecrow Contest used the schools’ reading theme – Haywood Reads – as the theme of the contest. She also recognized two Haywood Middle School teachers, Rachel Dreyer and Tanesha Walker, who are presenting at a conference for the Association for Middle Level Educators in Austin, Texas. She also reported that the HMS Warriors were playing then in the second round of the play-offs. Mrs. Russell said that the HHS FFA Soil Team advanced to the state level, and that Elliot Garrett had made a 30 on the ACT, earning him membership into the prestigious 30+ Club at HHS.

Board members also approved three trips for Haywood High students. HHS Choir Director, requested permission for her Show Choir to attend the World Strides Heritage Music Program in Anaheim, California, from March 16 to March 19, 2017. The HHS Marching Band, under the direction of Director Dumanic Wade, will travel to Jackson, Mississippi, to Jackson State to participate in its Senior Day on November 12. Jackie Whitten, GEAR UP Site Coordinator, requested to take the HHS JROTC cadets to a job site visit of the military base at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and to Austin Peay State University for a college tour on October 27, 2016.

At the request of Kenneth Emerson, board members approved the purchase of four buses. Three of these buses will be purchased from Central States Bus Sales through a bid that was made by the Grundy County Board of Education. These passenger buses are 72-seat Bluebird 2017 models with air conditioners. The cost for each of them is $87,973. The fourth bus will be a special needs smaller bus, 3 or 4 years old, that was in a lease program. Emerson is searching for the best buy on this bus.

At the end of the meeting, Emerson presented to board members an assessment of Haywood County Schools’ facility needs, presented by Kenneth Emerson.

At Anderson, there are a few issues with the roof, so he is getting prices to have several of those issues fixed when workers come and do the warranty work.

Haywood Elementary recently had an upgrade to the school’s security system. They replaced some cameras and other equipment to make it more effective. There is also a problem with one of the HVAC systems. Emerson said they are waiting on a report that Trane is supposed to be giving the system in the next few months before dealing with this issue.

At East Side Elementary, the roof had been fixed and there are some issues with the ground in the back of the school. They are doing some grading there and trying to get the grounds level and draining properly.

At HMS, there are still some moisture issues, some exterior doors need repairs and the back driveway needs asphalt. The outside of the gym needs painting, too.

HHS has some exterior door issues, as well as lighting issues. There are also some problems with the boilers and chillers.

The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 8.