Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MENTONE - Changes to the 2004-05 school calendar were made by the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. Board of Trustees Monday at their meeting.
Also, the board held the first reading of changes to board policies.
With the approved changes, Jan. 19, a day established as an emergency make-up day, becomes a regular student day. June 1 becomes the final student day and June 2-3 become emergency make-up days.
If Tippecanoe Valley students don't miss any school days prior to the end of the first semester, the current school calendar allows four makeup days prior to graduation. Superintendent Dr. Daniel Kramer wanted to increase that to five days. By switching Jan. 19, a scheduled teacher workday with no school for students, and June 2, TVSC has an additional day for makeup at the end of the school year if needed. If either day is not needed to make up student time, teachers would not be required to come in on the final day.
"I don't mind getting out of school sooner," said Katie Hileman, student representative to the school board.
"What this day gives us is an extra emergency makeup day before graduation," said Mark Wise, board president.
"We wouldn't want for them to have to go past graduation," said Rod Eaton, board secretary.
The board policy changes cover vending machines, student records, fund-raising, insurance and health and immunization. The changes are being made to reflect current practices and/or are based upon recommendations from the Indiana School Board Association reflecting statute changes.
Kramer said the vending machine policy is expanded to include healthy snacks and drinks in the machines when possible.
With the student records, the policies try to be more specific on what's in a student record, including picture card, test data card, birth certificate, transcripts, achievement scores, immunization, intervention check sheets, special education papers including speech only students and evidence of suspension/expulsion.
Under fund-raising, the new policy will require that at the building level, they submit a report to the administration about what fund-raisers are taking place for the administration's information.
Each child enrolling in TVSC for the first time must meet the immunization requirements under state law. Immunizations are required for diptheria, tetanus, whooping cough, measles, rubella, poliomyelitis, mumps, hepatitis B and chicken pox.
Beginning with the 2005-06 school year, every student entering grades nine and 12 must be immunized against hepatitis B.
The board will have the second reading of the policy changes at their January meeting.
Members of the Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. Board of Trustees are: president Mark Wise, vice president Hal Hoffman, secretary Rod Eaton, Dave O'Brien and Bryan Murphy.
Their next four scheduled board meetings are Jan. 17, 7:30 p.m., Mentone Elementary School, board meeting room; Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m., Burket Educational Center; March 14, 7:30 p.m., Mentone; and April 18, 7:30 p.m., Tippecanoe Valley Middle School.
