The Watson Chapel School District Board of Directors unanimously approved an amended recommendation by Superintendent Danny Hazelwood to expel a student at Watson Chapel High School for the possession and attempted sale of narcotics on campus at its regular monthly meeting Monday night.
The board voted to expel the male student for the remainder of the 2011-2012 academic year with the opportunity to return at the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year in August, after a 25 minute closed hearing held in the superintendent’s office.
This was a change from the original superintendent’s recommendation to maintain the expulsion through the first semester of the 2012-2013 school year.
An official letter to the student’s parents from high school assistant principal John Hayden stated that the student had been caught with six oxycodone pills that he offered to sell to other students for $5.00 per pill.
Several board members addressed the student and his family and otherwise explained why they took the action that they did.
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“We feel like this was fair,” board president Danny Holcomb said after the vote. “This was a serious offense but you have been a good student. The message must be sent that the Watson Chapel School District will not tolerate this activity. But we have also taken into account the fact that you have been a good student.”
Board member Donnie Hartsfield urged the student to make the most of his second chance.
“We all make mistakes,” Hartsfield said. “Learn from it. Next time there won’ t be a reprieve. You’ve got your second chance. Take advantage of it.”
Board vice president Sandra C. Boone addressed the student.
“We don’t want you to make light of the wrong that you did,” Boone said. “Do you realize how serious this is?”
“Yes ma’am,” the student answered.
The expulsion hearing for a second male student at Watson Chapel High School over the same incident was canceled because of the student’s withdrawal from the school district.
In other business the board approved the first of three possible options for school board rezoning as part of the process undertaken to reapportion zones taking into account population shifts after the results of the 2010 Census were published.
“Option one is the least intrusive change of the current board zones,” Hazelwood told the board. “There are some issues with option two and option three to me is way too radical and takes a lot of people out of their zones.”
The board approved the addition of the planned student curriculum for the 2013-2014 graduating class to the student handbook after a recommendation from Hazelwood.
“We had a visit last week from the Standards and Assurances Department of the State Department of Education,” Hazelwood said to the board. “They said we need to have the curriculum for the 2013-2014 graduating class in the handbook.”
The board approved one-year contract extensions for all district administrators; including Jennifer Barbaree, Cornovious Branch, Schaun Brown, Natasha Dunn, Jeff Glover, John Hayden, Ronnie Johnson, Rosie Martin, Brenda Melton, Ronette Metcalf, Anne Shaw, Tim Taylor, William Tietz, Henry Webb, Sandra Williams and Leydel Willis.
The board approved the hiring of Tammy Brickey as a substitute cafeteria worker; Roy A. Clark as head bus mechanic and Jasmetria Edwards as a temporary special education teacher.
The board approved the January financial statement, which included $2,519,277.88 received; $2,030,905.80 spent; and an ending balance of $8,301,315.27.
During board communications Hazelwood and members of the board urged all people interested in the Watson Chapel School District to attend the Feb. 21 meeting of the Pine Bluff City Council at 5:30 p.m.
“At the meeting the council will discuss the rezoning of some property near our junior high school that would cause tremendous traffic problems for us,” Hazelwood said.
Hazelwood and others said that there are plans being made to build a new Dollar General store at the location in question.
“If you live in the city contact your council members about this,” Holcomb said.
“I don’t know what we would do if they put a business there like a Dollar General,” said board member Maxine Nelson.