MOUNT VERNON — A middle school parent delegation addressed the Mount Vernon City Schools Board of Education on Monday, raising some concerns about the requirement that students obtain permission slips if they want to participate in a club activity during lunchtime.
Superintendent Steve Short explained that the permission slips are part of standard school safety procedures and are not unique to the middle school. For instance, he said, pupils in the lunchtime Spanish Club at Wiggin Street Elementary also have to have parental permission to participate. That way, in case of an emergency, school staff as well as parents know when students are at a club activity instead of lunch.
The rest of the meeting, according to treasurer Nancy Sinclair, was largely routine. The board issued commendations to National Merit Finalist Daniel Kasper and to National Merit Commended Scholars Eric Gordon, Christopher Jaymes and Austin Kasserman; and parent volunteer and PTO president Michelle Carpenter received a Behind the Scenes award for her work at Columbia Elementary.
In addition to routine fiscal actions, the board accepted a bid from Truck Sales & Service for two new school buses, and ratified educational audiology and assistive technology service contracts with the Knox County Educational Service Center and North Central Special Education Regional Resource Center.
Regarding personnel, the board accepted resignations from middle school cross country coach Matthew Bradley, assistant high school cheerleading advisor Lindsay Dennis and high school social studies teacher Ryan Teglovic. The board granted new contracts to principals Eric Brown, East School, and Suzanne Miller, Twin Oak; and employed Gordon Biggs as head custodian at Pleasant Street Elementary, effective March 17. Jeff Shaneyfelt is transferring from second shift to first shift custodian at the middle school and Stacey Williams was approved as summer school secretary on an as-needed basis. In addition to adding to the substitute teacher and substitute cook lists, the board approved a number of supplemental contracts and volunteers for spring activities. It also created a middle school track position for 2007-08 and a high school “B” golf team for the 2008-09 school year, pending sufficient student participation.
Other actions taken by the board included the approval of high school fees for the 2008-09 school year; an educational tour of England and Scotland; an eighth-grade trip to Washington, D.C., in part to attend the presidential inauguration next year; and a March 18-20 overnight trip for Wiggin Street fifth-graders to Nature’s Camp in Brinkhaven.
The board also approved the purchase of new music texts for grades kindergarten to five, approved increases in high school fees for the 2008-09 school year; adopted the Early Childhood Program Parent handbook, which is required for preschool licensing; and accepted Karen Arbogast as a foreign exchange student for the 2008-09 school year. Arbogast is a 16-year-old student from Karfsdorf, Germany.