Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Check Out Policy Questioned

Parents of high school students questions the district's check out policy at the Feb. 20 meeting of the Gurdon School Board.

The regular board meeting was held following a hearing to determine the punishment of four students who had set off an explosive device in the hallway outside the media center on Feb. 12.

Tambra Smith, acting as spokesperson for a group of concerned parents, asked the board to define the policy better.

According to the student handbook, parents are required to come to the school and sign their child(ren) out if they are sick or have other appointments.

This, Smith said, causes a hardship on parents, especially those who work out of town.

"We understand this has always been the policy," she said, "but parents used to be able to do this by phone.

"We request the policy be amended to allow students to be checked out by phone.

"Many parents can't leave work to come to school. This creates a hardship on parents and their employers."

Smith asked if this policy applies to those students having scheduled appointments with a doctor or dentist.

She said if the school can take the time to look up the phone number and call a parent, then the parent should be able to give or deny permission for their child(ren) to leave school over the phone.

Many of the students in question, she said, have their own vehicles.

As she closed, she asked the policy be amended.

Leonard Gills, GHS principal, said the policy was a joke at the old high school, as students were calling for their friends to get them out of class.

However, he continued, with the new policy in place, this has been drastically reduced. Gills said the reason the policy was instituted was to place the responsibility on the parents for checking their child(ren) out of school.

"A lot of the (phone) numbers we have are non-working numbers. It's a hardship on us to contact parents even if a child is sick," he said.

At the former GHS, Gill said, when there was an assembly scheduled or a holiday coming up, there would be times when there would be less than 100 students left on campus with parents calling to have their child(ren) let out early.

"The students are here from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.," Gill said. "We feel it's not too much to ask they be here all day and participate in school functions.

"It's (the policy) a precautionary measure and not meant to be a hardship. It helps us know where a student is going."

Smithson said the problem with the policy appears to be with illness and unexpected occurrences. He said the school is working to hold down unauthorized sign outs, but may have to consider an alternative.

He said if a student has an appointment scheduled the parents may need to let the school know in advance so the child(ren) can be let our of class.

It would be a hardship on the district, he continued, to change the student handbook at this time of the year.

However, he did agree the issue needs to be studied and addressed.

The policy was tabled until the March meeting.

In other action, the board was informed the district owes $240,000 on construction of the new gym to the contractors for phase II.

Once the second phase is completed, the gym will still need a floor, bleachers, goals and backboards. The score clock can be moved from the old gym to the new location.

Smithson said the district has applied for and received a loan from the revolving loan program for $100,000.

These funds, along with $50,000 from the district's operating budget, will complete payment on phase II of the gym.

However, Smithson said there needs to be more study done on bleachers for the new gymnasium.

He said those discussed at the January meeting were top of the line plastic molded seats. However, he continued, the district may need to look at wooden folding bleachers instead.

Those discussed in January were mechanical bleachers which folded up to the walls. He said the district may have to go to manual bleachers which have to be pushed and pulled to and from the walls.

Talking about the revolving loan, Smithson said the district will repay it at a 7 percent interest rate. If revenues come in as projected, he continued, this loan can be paid off in two years.

The board also agreed to rent the Arkla building, where the alternative school currently is, for the remainder of the school year.

The rent will be $400 per month.

However, the district is renting the old Gurdon Middle School to the Clark County Youth Center for $375 per month.

Smithson said Arkla gave the district permission to use the building for a year rent free.

The district then did the required work to prepare the building for the alternative school.

Arkla had originally asked for $600 per month in rent, but revised it to $400.

Smithson said the personnel working with ISS and ALS would like to stay where they are for the remainder of the school year.

The situation, he said, can be reevaluated thereafter.

Gurdon's band will be allowed to purchase almost $10,000 worth of equipment from Loveall Music Co., Inc. of Texarkana.

The equipment includes a xylophone, tuba with case, tuner and symphonic bells, along with a remote metronome, for $9,126.

The other bid received was from Wallick Music Co., Inc. for $9,373 for the same equipment.

The board also agreed to hire all three principals back for the next year.

Its final decision was to give permission for students to invite non-students to the junior-senior prom again this year.

However, the students must get their guests approved prior to the prom and the guests must purchase a ticket.

Gill said GHS will follow the same guidelines it did last year for the prom.