Superintendent Teresa Russell recognized Mary Wyatt Pettigrew at the January School Board meeting for earning membership into the HHS 30+ Club for making a 30 on the ACT.

Members of the Haywood County School Board met in regular session on Tuesday, January 12. The first order of business after approving the agendas, was Superintendent Teresa Russell’s Celebration of Haywood County Schools. She recognized Mary Wyatt Pettigrew for earning membership into the prestigious Haywood High School 30+ Club. To earn this recognition, she made a 30 on the ACT. Mrs. Russell also reported that Everette Pettigrew, who was also present at the meeting, had completed his Eagle Scout project at East Side Intermediate School. He, with the help of several others, built a disability ramp in the back of East Side. She thanked Everette and his family for their contributions to Haywood County Schools.

The next order of business was to consider on first reading recommended policy changes and/or additions from the Tennessee School Board Association.

Policy 4.605 – Graduation Requirements – In this policy, the changes to Lines 10 and 11 are, “Before graduation, every students shall achieve the specified 22 units of credit; take the required end of course exams; ….” The next section of this policy referred to special education students. It said that “Special education students who do not meet the requirements for a high school diploma may be awarded an occupational diploma if the student has: (1) satisfactorily completed their IEP; (2) maintained satisfactory records of attendance and conduct; (3) completed the occupational diploma Skills, Knowledge, and Experience Mastery Assessment (SKEMA); (4) completed at least four years of high school; and (5) has two years of paid or non-paid work experience.

Policy 4.700 – Testing Programs – The only change to this policy is that the TCAP scores for grades 3-8 shall comprise 20 (instead of 15) percent of the student’s final grade in the spring semester in the subject areas of mathematics, reading/language arts, science and social studies. It also says, “The director of schools may exclude end-of-course (EOC) scores from students’ final grades if scores are not received by the district at least five instructional days before the end of the course.”

Policy 5.305 – Family and Medical Leave – The wording changes in this policy were made to more accurately reflect the language in the Federal FMLA regulations. Among other changes, the second change addresses the ability to use up to 26 weeks of FMLA for specific reasons. This provision would only apply in a limited set of circumstances. The ability to take state leave in certain situations is also addressed. Finally, the policy clarifies the amount of time spouses may take leave if they are both employed by the school district.

Policy 6.414 – Prevention and Treatment of Sudden Cardiac Arrest – This is a new policy. During the Legislative Session, the General Assembly enacted Public Chapter 325, which requires districts to have a policy in place to address Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention. The new policy address training, removal of students from athletics and optional penalties that districts can implement for personnel who are in violation of the law.

Board members approved these policy changes/additions on first reading.

After board members approved several budget amendments, Mrs. Russell announced that School Board Appreciation Week is January 25-29.

The next school board meeting will be held on February 9 at 6 p.m.