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NORTH MANCHESTER - After much discussion Tuesday night, two Manchester High School soccer players will be allowed to kick for the football team.
The motion for the exception to the student athletic handbook was tabled at the Aug. 16 so board members could gather more information.
Tuesday night, board members approved a motion to allow the players, one varsity and one junior varsity, to participate in both sports as a trial by a 6-1 vote. Todd Speicher opposed the motion.
Once the season is over, coaches will be surveyed and the issue will be discussed more at a later board meeting.
"I am in favor of keeping (the exception) for soccer and football," said Manchester Junior-Senior High School Principal Nancy Alspaugh. "We can try to see how this works and if it is a good exception."
"If we do this for one year for this one season on a trial basis, I don't think we are opening a can of worms," said board member Carlye McLaughlin.
"It will come back and bite us," said Speicher.
After the discussion on the athletics rule exception, the board heard that the change to a "hub system" for busing is working well. All students in the corporation are bused to a parking lot at the junior-senior high school then taken to their respective schools. The hub system replaces the double-busing system the school corporation used the last couple years.
"The hub is working great," said Transportation Director Jim Schuler. "It is a big savings to the corporation."
Schuler told the board the buses are traveling 302 fewer miles per day, saving the corporation money in both mileage for drivers and gasoline. The mileage savings is estimated to be around $13,500, while the savings in gasoline (figured at the Aug. 15 price of $2.77 per gallon) at around $15,400. The total estimated savings totals around $29,000.
In other business, the board:
• Approved overnight field trip requests for an overnight physics field trip to Disney World and biology field trip to Florida.
• Approved accepting a donation of 134 e-books from Garrett Book Co. to assist literacy programs.
• Approved a Sunday building activity request for the cast of "Noises Off" to rehearse on four Sunday afternoons.
• Approved grade-level chairmen for Laketon Elementary School and Manchester Junior-Senior High School.
• Approved the hiring of Denny Craft as after-school tutor for 2005-06; Joyce Hunt as special education instructional assistant for LES; Tammy Allen to teach additional section Introductory Algebra for seventh and eighth grade; Janelle McLaughlin as kindergarten teacher at Manchester Elementary School; Dorey Bungitak as volunteer assistant golf coach; Jon Siebrase as weight room supervisor at MJSHS; and Rebecca Cook as MHS media center assistant.
• Accepted the resignation of Matt Webb, volleyball coach at LES.
Manchester school board members are Sally Krouse, president, Todd Speicher, Thom Frantz, Kent Terrill, Brian Schilling, Carlye McLaughlin and Steve Flack. Superintendent is Diana Showalter.
