Updates dominate school board meeting

PRESCOTT – Policy and handbook updates dominated the July meeting of the Prescott School Board Tuesday night.

The meeting kicked off with Prescott Elementary School Principal Kimberly Grimes talking about the policy changes proposed at the recent legislative session. For the most part, she said, there were no concerns by the Personnel Policy Committee. She added the new laws allow bus drivers to use two-way radios. The changes were approved.

Next up she talked about handbook changes for PES. The biggest change is there is no longer an In School Suspension (ISS) program. Instead the district is implementing a Behavioral Intervention Classroom (BIC) for students who get in trouble. Grimes said ISS has a negative connotation and the BIC will work to correct the behavior by using coping skills, strategies and role playing.

Superintendent Robert Poole gave the handbook changes for Prescott Junior High School and Prescott High School, saying they were both the same. Most of them also dealt with discipline problems, including the change from ISS to BIC.

However, penalties for infractions have been made more severe in some cases. Any student bringing drugs to school or selling them on campus can be expelled for a year.

Students engaged in disorderly conduct will find themselves in BIC for five days for the first offense, be in out of school suspension for three days on the second offense and sent to juvenile court on the third offense. Plagiarism and cheating, Poole said, have become problems. Students caught plagiarising or cheating will be given BIC for five days on their first offense and 10 days on a second offense. A third violation could result in being sent to ALE or being expelled for the remainder of the school year. In addition, cheating on standardized tests, such as the ACT will result in the student being banned from taking the test on campus, which means they’ll have to pay to take the test elsewhere.

For fighting, the first offense is five days in BIC and three days of OSS for a second offense. The third offense will land the student in ALE.

Poole pointed out the Prescott School District has an agreement with the Hope School District to take any and all problem students in its ALE program from grades 5-12. The money the state pays PSD for students will go to the HSD with the PSD providing transportation to and from the ALE site.

The board approved these changes as well as renewing the districts ALE agreement with the HSD.

Where cell phones are concerned, the devices can no longer be out while students are on campus, going home on the bus or coming to school on the bus. Any electronic devices seen will be confiscated and students will have to pay a fine to get them back.

An extra day has been added to the 2019-20 calendar as a make up day if it’s needed. This day will be June 1.

Poole said the school election will be held Nov. 5, with one position open in Zone 1.

The August board meeting will be early, Aug. 13, due to conflicts. Poole added a special meeting may have to be called to hire needed personnel.