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School board plans Fairview addition, adjusts EOC schedule
By Emily Elders
School officials discussed a six-classroom addition to Fairview School and created an end-of-course exams committee during a recent (Nov. 20) board meeting.
Architect John Cort presented a site plan that shows the kindergarten addition and the subsequent parking plan, which the Department of Transportation helped create. School board members unanimously agreed to move forward with the traffic plan.
The new building will house six kindergarten classrooms, as well as adding new fenced play areas, a covered drop-off and a new parking area and will be constructed behind the existing school on what is currently a 119-space parking lot.
A committee was formed to approach issues raised by this year’s high school EOC exams. Assistant Superintendent Steve Jones told the board that these exams, with the exception of biology, will need to be lengthened, from 130 minutes to 162 minutes. This is due to embedded field test items within the existing exams that will help provide new questions for next year’s round of exams. The embedded items will increase the time but avoid the problem of organizing two tests, he said.
Longer tests mean that a new testing schedule will need to be developed, and that test results and report cards will be delayed into the spring semester, according to Jones. The committee, made up of school board members, administrators and PTO representatives, will meet in December to finalize a schedule for the January exams.
In other business Nov. 20:
– Principal Jay Grissom presented the Jackson County School of Alternatives’ addendum to its adequate yearly progress goals. Each school which did not meet AYP results for last year is required to present new goals that address its needs, which for most Jackson County schools is math.
– Four board policies were approved at the recommendation of Superintendent Sue Nations. These include procedures on protection from communicable diseases for both students and employees; the confidentiality of employees’ personal information, including Social Security numbers; and the school system’s random drug testing policy.
The drug testing policy states that random drug screening will be applied to all student-athletes according to a random lottery, and that students exhibiting “physical conduct or acts that are both inconsistent with the student’s usual behavior and consistent with behavior common to being under the influence of drugs” may be tested without being chosen by the lottery.
Students who check out of school after the announcement of the names drawn will be automatically considered to have a positive test result, unless the student proves a pre-existing reason for checkout or extenuating circumstances.
Students testing positive on the tests will be immediately withdrawn from the sport for the rest of the season, and must undergo counseling for three weeks before participating in any other sport at the school. Also, a negative screening must be recorded before further participation. A second positive screening will result in suspension from athletic activities for one year.
– Margie Allison, president of the newly-created SMHS PTO, reported on the group’s status and goals for the remainder of the year.
– Field trips were approved for Smoky Mountain High School varsity cheerleaders’ trip to the National Championship in Atlanta on Feb. 16, and for the School of Alternatives K-2 grades’ trip to Ripley’s Aquarium in Gatlinburg, Tenn., on Dec. 20.
– Scotts Creek students Morgan Hawkins, third grade, Grace Morris, fourth grade, and Maggie DeWeese, fifth grade, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
– The date of the next scheduled meeting has been changed to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 11 at Fairview Elementary School, due to holiday events.
– Personnel actions included the approval of the following:
– Retirement: James Rogers, social studies teacher, Blue Ridge School; and Sandra Rogers, AIG teacher, BRS.
– Resignations: Henderson Gilleland, instructor, JCSA; Ken Madden, math teacher, BRS; Susan Rice, food services, BRS; Marie Searcy, teacher, BRS; and Amanda Stewart, music teacher, FES.
– Employees: Linda Bryson, cafeteria substitute, BRS; Edith Callahan, health occupations teacher, SMHS; Shea Croft, ESL (English as second language) tutor, BRS; Drew Gerhardt, after-school program counselor, Cullowhee Valley; Kent Godfrey, special education teacher, JCSA; Michelle Hott, ESL tutor, BRS; Morag Miller, third-grade teacher, FES; Gloria Murdock, science teacher, BRS; and Cindy Owen, child nutrition assistant, FES.
– Substitute teachers: Samuel Bintz; Anna Blakely; Sarah Hendershot; Sherri Luker; and Karen McDaniel.
– Non-staff coaches: Casey Bogarad, assistant swim coach, SMHS; Ginger Buchanan, head cheerleading coach, Scotts Creek; Wendy Buchanan, assistant cheerleading coach, SCS; Daniel Gift, assistant boys’ basketball coach, CVS; John Hall, head middle school baseball coach, BRS; Tony Quinn, head softball coach, SMHS; Kelly Rice, head softball and assistant girls’ basketball coach, CVS; Kathryn Shaw, middle school assistant basketball coach, BRS; Carolyn Warhaftig, assistant girls’ soccer, SMHS; Emmanuel Wilder, assistant swim coach, SMHS.
– Bus Drivers: Telly Banks, CVS (countywide); Stephanie Brown, SMHS; and Daniel Warlick, SMHS.
No action was required, but two returning coaches were announced: Leah Setzer, assistant girls’ basketball coach, SMHS; and Ollin Dunford, head junior varsity and assistant varsity girls’ basketball coach.
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