Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Drug dog gets thirsty at basketball game

An unusual situation occurred at a recent Nevada basketball game involving the Nevada County Sheriff's Office's drug dog.

It seems the dog got hot and wanted a drink. But, before anyone could get a bowl of water for it, the dog began drinking from a water fountain.

Rick McAfee, superintendent of the Nevada School District, said, at the November meeting of the Nevada School Board, the fountain was disinfected and the next week there was water out for the dog.

Parents, he said, are upset about the amount of homework their children are having to do. "We're trying to impress the importance to the students to keep hitting the books."

The reason for all of the homework, he said, is because of the standards school districts are mandated to maintain by the state. "I hope parents will work with us. This is not punishment to the children, but to help them do well on the standardized tests."

These standardized tests, McAfee said, determine the fate of school districts.

He told the board about the proposed special session of the Arkansas General Assembly tentatively scheduled for Dec. 8. There are five plans for schools in Arkansas, including Gov. Mike Huckabee's Leadership for Education Accountability and Reform Now, or LEARN, plan.

The governor, McAfee said, will be trying to get his through, but doesn't have the votes at this time. A lot of the plans address the same issues and whatever plan is adopted will be what districts in Arkansas must adhere to.

"We'll do all we can to be ready for the session and keep everyone informed," he said.

The Arkansas School Board Association meeting will be held at roughly the same time as the session, from Dec. 9-11. McAfee said the board needed to elect a delegate to vote for and represent the Nevada District at the meeting, along with checking out what's going on with the session. The board picked Todd Brown to be its representative, as Jerry Bishop was elected as the region 12 representative.

The board was asked to approve a series of transfers from the Nevada to the Emmet school district. McAfee pointed out these were legal transfers that had already been approved. The board, he said, must review these transfers and grant approval every three years.

However, there are students in the Emmet District who should be attending school at Nevada, he said. These students are the basis of a lawsuit between the two districts.

McAfee said the Nevada District would be helping with the Picayune Toy Drive, getting toys and food together to help needy families this holiday season.

The board granted McAfee approval to use a district bus to take soldiers who return home for Christmas back to either Fort Hood, Texas, or Fort Polk, La. The soldiers, he said, have been given permission to return home for Christmas, with the military providing them transportation home. But, they were told they had to find their own way back afterward.

The board was told the school's Fall Festival was well attended, with everyone having fun.

The Jazzy Jays performed at the Nevada homecoming, with a new group started this year. McAfee said girls in grades 1-3 have a pep squad that performed at the homecoming and did a good job.

The board decided to forego a December meeting, as has been the practice over the years, and will meet next on Jan. 15, 2004.