Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
NORTH MANCHESTER - Manchester Community Schools students who take a field trip or other school-sponsored trip now must travel only in school-owned vehicles.
Tuesday night at the last regular meeting of 2005, the Manchester School Board approved a bylaw prohibiting the use of private vehicles for field and other school-sponsored trips. The move was encouraged by the school's insurance company because of liability issues.
Since the board passed the bylaw, students are no longer allowed to ride to school-sponsored trips in vehicles that are not owned by the school corporation. Students can only ride to and from such events with their own parents.
Several board members said it was a shame that the move had to be made, but they understood the risks of lawsuits if they did not make the rule.
In other business, the board:
• Hired Theresa Smith as special education paraprofessional at Manchester Elementary School.
• Approved a request to change the positions of two boys basketball coaches: Eric Christiansen to freshman boys basketball coach and Brian Tonsoni as junior varsity boys basketball coach.
• Approved a student's request to waive the second trimester of attendance for medical reasons. The student will return for the last semester of the school year.
• Approved the 2006-07 school calendar. The first day of school for students will be Aug. 15, with winter break from Dec. 21 to Jan. 2, spring break from April 2-6 and the last day of school is May 22. Graduation is scheduled for June 1.
• Approved a motion to allow Business Manager Steve Shumaker to begin the process for 2006 school bus bids.
• Approved Sunday building usage for the Manchester High School gym nine Sundays (from Jan. 8 through March 5) for boys biddy basketball. They also approved the use of the high school commons Feb. 5 for the Tri Kappa Organization chicken barbecue pickup.
• Approved professional leave requests for Rhonda Snover and Kay Sponseller to attend the Student Achievement Institute in Indianapolis Jan. 15 and Jan. 29 and Marilyn Sexton-Mason to attend the Music Educator's Association in Indianapolis Jan. 12-14.
• Approved a Sunday activity for Keith Metzger and Kyle Wieland to take the Ski Club to Ostego, Mich., Jan. 15 and Jan. 29.
Manchester school board members are Sally Krouse, president, Todd Speicher, Jan Fahs, Kent Terrill, Brian Schilling, Carlye McLaughlin and Steve Flack. Superintendent is Diana Showalter.
