NORTH MANCHESTER - Students riding the bus at Manchester Community Schools soon will have a way to know their bus is safe.
Tuesday, Transportation Director and Laketon Elementary School Principal Bill Reichhart informed the Manchester School Board that soon all bus drivers and substitute bus drivers will wear red shirts or jackets while driving their routes.
The shirts have been ordered and should be delivered in two to three weeks. Although there are different styles of shirts, all will be the same color - red - and will be embroidered with Manchester Community School Transportation and the driver's name. All drivers and substitutes also will receive a red and black jacket with the same logo.
Each driver will be asked to wear the shirts or jackets whenever they are driving the bus.
Reichhart said students will know not to get on the bus if the driver is not wearing red.
In other business, the board:
n Accepted a donation from Ford Meter Box for $12,000 for the 2007-08 school year.
n Approved a professional leave request for Jabin Burnworth to attend the Healthy Food, Local Farms Conference in Louisville, Ky., Sept. 29.
n Approved an educational field trip request for Debra Kern to take the sculpture art students to the University of Saint Francis to attend an official gallery opening Sept. 8.
n Approved Sunday building rentals for the German Baptist Church to rent the senior high school gym and cafeteria for a youth activity Sunday, and the Manchester Youth Football League to use the MHS football fields for practices and games on Sunday afternoons in September and October.
n Approved the hiring of Jennifer Hann, K-4 general music teacher at Manchester Elementary School; Anne Clark, second-grade job share teacher at MES; Wendy Ellet and Adriene Burgess, educational assistants at MES; Kasha Weiland and Wendy Isbell, educational assistants at LES; Missy Dierks, junior high cheerleading coach at Manchester Junior-Senior High School; Heather Boggs, C-team volleyball coach at MJSHS; Elizabeth Myers, seventh-grade volleyball coach at MJSHS; Amgad Riad, JV boys soccer coach at MJSHS; Amy Acree, Spell Bowl Sponsor at MJSHS; Kelliemarie Sorg, student council sponsor at MJSHS; Jennifer Boone, ECA treasurer at LES; Beth Rosen, second-grade chairperson at Manchester Community Schools; and Joel Eichenauer, fourth-grade chairperson at Manchester Community Schools.
n Accepted the resignations of Karen Burgan as ECA treasurer at MJSHS; Denny Craft as student council sponsor at LES; and Joyce Hunt, educational assistant at LES.
Manchester School board members are Sally Krouse, president; Todd Speicher; Jan Fahs; Brian Schilling; Steve Lambert; Kent Terrill; and Steve Flack. Superintendent is Dr. Diana Showalter.
