Beginning this August, freshman at Alliance High School will need to remain on school grounds during their lunch period.
At the request of high school principal Dr. Pat Jones, the school board on Monday night approved a closed campus policy for incoming freshman.
Jones told the board that he considered requesting a closed campus for freshman and sophomores, but then determined it would be unfair to have a closed campus policy to next year’s sophomores who had an open campus as this year’s freshman.
“Keeping the younger high school students out of traffic during one of the busier times of the day, as well as encouraging them to eat lunch at the high school to help improve the bottom line of the lunch program, along with reducing 5th period (after lunch) tardiness are the goals of implementing the closed campus for freshman,” Jones told the board.
The lunch program is currently running in the red by several thousand dollars.
Jones told the board that the freshman who violate the closed campus policy will be handled as any other student who commits what he described as a minor infraction, beginning with a conference with administration.
A closed campus for all Alliance Middle School students was implemented several years ago.
Also during Monday night’s board meeting, it was announced that parent participation during the March 12 parent-teacher conferences was lower than last fall’s event. The high school reported a 34% turnout, with 75% at Grandview and 80% at Emerson. The middle school number was not available. Building principals stated they had a higher than normal absentee rate on Monday, March 11 as it is believed several families took a week’s vacation, adding March 11 and 12 to the already scheduled days off of March 13 to 15.
Five staff members also submitted their letters of resignation, effective at the end of the current school year. They include: High School English teacher Beth Carver, High School Social Studies instructor Terry Hickman, Grandview 2nd grade instructor Abigail Little, Emerson Librarian Teresa Rotherham, and para-educator Sandy Mortaro.
The board also approved holding the high school spring band concert on Wednesday, April 10, and holding a spring musical matinee on Sunday, April 14.