Preschool rules added to NEVC elementary handbook

Nevada Daily Mail

The Northeastern Vernon County R-1 school board changed their elementary handbook for the upcoming school year, Thursday night.

Elementary Principal Kendall Ogburn proposed the new changes in the elementary handbook. The rules are not new, but they are written down for the first time, Ogburn said.

The first policy ruling asks all students enrolled in preschool to have good attendance.

The new policy this year will not allow a preschooler to have more than five unexcused absences a semester. Any preschool student who has more than five unexcused absences in a semester will be dropped from the preschool program the following semester. Any student with 10 or more unexcused absences in a school year will be dropped the following school year from the program.

"Absences are a problem," Ogburn said. "(A woman) in town and her child have missed 25-30 days, and when she brings her kids, she brings them at noon.

"Another kid comes in 25 to 45 minutes late almost everyday. There's just no excuse. At some point it just turns into daycare."

All school board members agreed, and the motion to put this rule in the rulebook was passed unanimously

"If you show up three times a week late to school, perhaps you shouldn't be coming to school at all," said secretary Jeanne Hoagland. "It's not to blame the kids. Absences or tardies happen. We've all had a flat tire."

Another policy that was added to the handbook for this school year will mandate students behave appropriately while at school and on the bus.

Preschoolers are required to be toilet trained, and any student deemed too immature for preschool can be removed from the NEVC program by the administration.

Additionally, on school buses the board voted that Ogburn has the right to create seating assignments if necessary.

"I've had many preschool parents ask me if they can sit at the front of the bus," Ogburn said. "I always tell them, 'I'll try, but I only have two front seats.'" Many school board members said they'd like to put preschoolers with older students on the bus as mentors or responsible persons.

The school board also decided on bids for the school year.

Highland Dairy's bid was accepted for the school's milk needs at 19 cents a gallon.

NEVC accepted MFA's bid for propane at $1.05 a gallon.

The school board also accepted a bid from MFA for diesel fuel at eight cents over the cost at time of delivery.

Before the meeting closed, Superintendent Charles Naas told the board that he was interested in looking into using solar panels at the school to help cut some of the school's energy costs.