During the work session and board meeting over the last two weeks, the Putnam County Board of Education passed the new code of conduct for the school system, were introduced to new safety measures for schools, and approved new legislative board policies from the state.
During a work session on July 11, the Board of Education unanimously approved the final draft of the student proposed dress code and the new code of conduct that will be present in this year’s handbook. The new code of conduct will have the new mission statement and guided principles, the new dress code, changes to faculty, an updated grading policy, and an updated requirement to become valedictorian or salutatorian.
During the work session, Director of Public Safety Ken Vance spoke about safety measures being taken for this upcoming school year. New school safety plans are being created for each school. This process is estimated to take six to eight months to complete to ensure a brand new safety plan for next year. In addition, all law enforcement officers are taking classes on how to handle active shooters. These classes include two to four hours of in-class training, new handbooks that will stay in the patrol vehicles at all times, training on the layout of the schools and their safety zones, and visits to the school so each officer can walk the layout as well. The fire department and EMS will also be going through a less extensive training.
“I am so proud to be a part of a system that values the safety of its falculty, students, and staff. They show that commitment every day,” said Vance. “I’m so glad to be a part of this greater plan.”
In addition to new safety plans and active shooter training, law enforcement will be working on response times to each school and hosting two classes for individuals not in law enforcement. On August 2, there are plans to host a bus driver training. There is also a community school safety meeting for the wider community where a presentation on school safety will be held.
“The community safety meeting is for parents or guardians but anyone is welcome to attend. I highly encourage it,” said Vance.
During the board meeting on Tuesday, the Board of Education approved multiple new law-enforced board policies that reinforce how the board handles problems and how parents may interact with the curriculums offered at each school. According to School Superintendent Eric Arena, these law-enforced board policies only reiterate the motions the board was already taking to handle different matters.
The board meeting closed with the approval of the renewal subscription to Navvy for $46,223. The school system has used Navvy for about five years and it acts as an assessment tool. The board also approved of computer science equipment from Southern Educational Systems for a total of $30,430.16.
“It is a requirement from the state of Georgia to teach computer science in every high school. This equipment is needed to outfit the classroom for computer science,” Arena said.