Wednesday, August 20, 2003
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Wednesday, August 20, 2003 |
Board vote makes cell phones legalBy J. FRANK
LYNCH
Between blocks of public testimony on school bus route changes, the Fayette County Board of Education did manage to conduct some binding business Monday night. With nearly no reaction and little feedback, the board signed off on a change in the policy toward possession of electronic devices, or rather cell phones, that had tentatively been okayed earlier this month. The policy conforms to new state law that allows the devices to be carried by students, which is a popular way ofstaying in touch with them, parents contend. Though some educators disagree, Fayette administrators admit that local students have mostly been carrying the phones with them to school anyway, just hiding them or turning themoff. The policy strictly forbids the use of the phones by students on campus during the school day. After the final bell in the afternoon, they are allowed to make calls. In other business, the board: ·Heard from finance director James Stephens, who said the books after the first quarter of the new fiscal year were in order; ·Approved a block of personnel changes, including 24 transfers within the system and 32 new hires. Among the new employees is Joyce Hill, a new assistant principal at Fayette County High, who previously worked in Walton County; ·Considered job descriptions for Assistant Superintendent of Operations and Fixed Assets Specialist/Finance, both new positions; ·Gave the OK to the Elementary and Secondary Student Code of Conduct for 2003-2004; ·Heard an update on school construction projects from manager Klaus Darnell, who reported that skylights were going in at Whitewater High and the softball field was being sodded; that Crabapple Lane Elementary had been through the punch-list inspection, which was in the hands of the architect; and that kitchen projects at East Fayette and Fayetteville Intermediate schools should be completed by the third week in October.
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