Our community has certainly been in the news the past few days. Two items I’d like to share:
Three Schools Receive Red Carpet Awards
Three schools in Lexington/Richland Five have been honored with Red Carpet awards to recognize their success at creating family-friendly school environments and providing excellent customer service. Chapin Elementary, CrossRoads Middle and Irmo Elementary all received the award. This was the third Red Carpet Award for both Chapin Elementary and Irmo Elementary and the second for CrossRoads Middle. Only five schools in the state have received the honor three times.
More than 280 schools applied for the award last fall. Applicants provided written details about their family-friendly philosophies and environments, along with the methods used to self-evaluate those efforts. They also were required to include copies of their schools’ communication plans.
Schools that passed the written application phase were then screened by independent judges who rated how telephone callers and visitors were treated. Judges did not identify themselves during telephone calls or site visits, and site visits were not announced in advance.
Winning schools receive red carpets with the state seal to display in their lobbies, and they maintain their recognition status for a three-year period.
District Considering New Policy Regarding Clubs
The Board of Trustees will discuss and consider at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, May 27, the approval of a new board policy that will define the district’s relationship with extracurricular clubs and organizations. The district administration has researched how other school districts across the country have addressed the establishment of clubs, and is in the process of developing policies and procedures for the board’s consideration.
It is expected that these policies and procedures will define which clubs and organizations are student-initiated but non-school-sponsored, and which are considered school-sponsored extracurricular clubs and organizations.
The policies under consideration will comply with the federal Equal Access Act, while at the same time making it clear that the district does not endorse those clubs and organizations which do not have as their purpose the reinforcement and extension of the school’s basic curriculum.
The meeting will be held at the district administration building, 1020 Dutch Fork Road, Irmo.