During their meeting Tuesday, the Anderson School District One Board approved first reading on policies addressing animals in schools, booster clubs, communicable diseases and cell phones.
They also heard a report on professional development for teachers as they ready to begin the new school year.
Chief Academic Officer Brad Moore presented information on District One Professional Development which has been underway two days this week. He said they are focusing heavily on new Standards related to SC College-Career Ready English Language Arts (ELA) this year and next year will focus on Math standards.
Moore said the Professional Development sessions provide clarity for teachers and teaching teams and is a “true collaboration to support our students and to challenge and update our teachers.”
All teachers in the District with the exception of related arts are participating, Moore said.
K-3 LETRS training is funded by the State. Grades 3-5 are being funded by District One.
The Leader in Me training for all eight schools will continue with a focus on standard and the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) process.
The Elementary School focus is on LETRS training, which teaches skills needed to master the foundational and fundamentals of reading and writing instruction. It includes phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension and written language.
The Middle/High School focus is on essential work standard, improving the PLC process and work of collaborative teams and focus on best practices at Tier1/Direct Instruction.
Moore said, “We have had a great start.”
During the meeting a special recognition was held for the Powdersville High Baseball team and Wren High Golf team. House District 10 Representative Thomas Beach presented the teams with framed documents recognizing their accomplishments in winning state championships. The Powdersville High Baseball team recently won the AAA State Championship and Wren High Boys golf won the 2023-2024 AAA State Championship.
The Board approved first reading on four policies: IMG Animals in Schools, KBE Relations with Parent Organizations and Booster Clubs; JLCC Communicable Infectious Diseases and JLCC-R Communicable Infectious Diseases.
Assistant Superintendent of Administration Dr. Jeff Wilson explained policy updates.
Animals in Schools addresses service animals, animals on school grounds, wild or stray animals and classroom pets.
The policy states that with the exception of service animals, animals are not allowed on district property, school facilities, sporting events or playing fields during school hours unless approved by the school principal.
Animals remaining in vehicles while the owner is visiting a school campus are not restricted except windows and other openings should be restricted to prevent students from reaching into the vehicle.
Classroom pets will be evaluated for appropriateness of the animal and educational objective. Allowing any animal into a school building is at the principal’s discretion. A number of guidelines including a plan for daily and holiday care, proof of good health and vaccinations, prohibited animals, handling and enclosures are provided.
The policy also addresses service animals (dogs) trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability including physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other mental disability.
The policy stated that the district will not ask about the nature of a disability but may inquire if the animal is required because of a disability and what work or task the animal has been trained to perform. The policy addresses responsibility of the handler, exclusion of a service animal and complaint process.
KBE Relations with Parent Organizations/Booster Clubs addresses new state requirements for organizations to be registered with the school district board, including officers. A state criminal background check will be required for the “financial officer”. A person who was convicted of, or pled guilty to a felony is prohibited from serving as a financial officer of a booster club.
The JLCC Communicable/Infectious Disease policy addresses HIV status of a student or other staff member and participation in school-sponsored physical activities and headlice.
Policy JLCC-R addresses head lice including attendance and control practices. One of the goals of the policy is to increase academic achievement with consistent attendance. The school nurse will assume the major teaching role in educating parents, teachers, staff and students about the transmission and treatment of head lice.
The District is also implementing a SC Instructional Material Complaint Form provided by the SC Department of Education. The State Board of Education requires instructional materials in SC public schools to be age and developmentally appropriate and aligned with and supportive of South Carolina’s instructional program. The form includes guidelines for materials as defined in SC Code.
Superintendent Dr. Seth Young said District One is making a list of every book being used in teacher classroom libraries to provide a database.
Dr. Wilson said the State is working on a new cell phone policy which he said should be available in August. The policy will address what electronic devices students can have or use during school hours. The District currently has a policy. “We want to be consistent with what the SC School Board put out,” Dr. Wilson said. The new policy will go into effect in January, he said.
Dr. Young said a ground breaking for the new Oak Hill Elementary School in Powdersville is being planned for Friday, Sept. 20 at 3 p.m. The date and time will be confirmed and announced he said.
Anderson School District One will open doors to over 11,000 students on Thursday, August 1 for the 2024 – 2025 school year.
