Proposed School Field Trip, Funerals At Middle School Among Items Discussed By Dillon District Four School Board

By Betsy Finklea
A proposed school field trip and funerals at Dillon Middle School were among the items discussed at the Dillon District School Board meeting, tonight, Monday, April 21st.
Chris Ray, Director of Personnel, said that he received a travel request from the Dillon High School Band, who want to go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA, for a field tip on Friday, May 9th. Ray said this falls in the middle of End of Course (EOC) testing. He proposed that the board approve the trip provided that it be taken after May 15th when testing is over. It was noted that EOC scores determine the rating on the school report cards. Dillon High School scored unsatisfactory on the last report card.
Upon a motion, by Board member Famon Whitfield and a second by Board member Kenny Bethea, the board voted to approve trip provided that it be taken after the testing dates. Many board members stated that they were not opposed to the trip itself, but the timing was an issue.
Another topic of discussion was funerals at Dillon Middle School. Jackie Hayes, Director of Operations, suggested to the board that they need a fee associated with having a funeral at the middle school and some type of policy. He said funerals at the middle school are very time-consuming. He said tarps have to be placed out to protect the floor. Chairs have to be brought from the auditorium by truck, placed out, and then has to all be taken back up after the funeral. A custodian has to be hired to clean up, and the bathrooms have to be monitored. Superintendent Ray Rogers added that there have been requests to use the lobby of the auditorium for visitations, etc. Board member Kenny Bethea said that he thought the use of the middle school for funerals was limited to faculty and staff members. Hayes said as part of any policy they will need to define who can use the facility such as board members, former or current staff or board members, etc. Board member Burt Rogers said he didn’t see where the school was a place for funerals. Superintendent Ray Rogers said they were not in the funeral business. A policy and fee will be formulated and proposed at a future meeting.
In other matters:
-Jackie Hayes said the budget was at 67 percent. The budget year ends on June 30, 2025.
–Mandy Hayes, Director of Student Services, said they have not received the federal allocation numbers yet.
–Mandy Hayes said summer reading camp will be held again this year. Students, who do not make a certain score, will have to attend.
–The board approved the District Strategic Plans, School Renewal Plans, and Continuous Improvement Plans upon a motion by Board member Burt Rogers and a second by Board member Mike McRae.
–Mandy Hayes noted that the course codes had changed on speech and the Save The Children courses. The board approved these changes upon a motion by Board member Alex Lewis and a second by Board member Famon Whitfield.
-The board was given Policy F, which deals with Facility Planning and Development, for review.
-The board approved the second reading of policy BEDH, which deals with public participation at meetings. This reduces the minutes that the public can speak from 7 minutes to 5 minutes. Chris Ray said this was as advised by the attorney.
-The first reading of Policy AC, which is a Non-Discrimination/Equal Opportunity Policy, was updated to name Chris Ray as the person to receive a grievance.