TYLERTOWN — Walthall County school board members tweaked the district’s early graduation policy on Nov. 20.
On a recommendation from the district’s policy committee, the board added a provision that the superintendent can, in special circumstances, approve early graduation for students who have meet the requirements and did not apply for early graduation in the ninth grade.
Michelle Stinson, the counselor at Salem Attendance Center, said the policy would be in place for only three years. After that, new graduation requirements will be in effect, with the state requiring at least one of several different academic or vocational endorsements to be earned before a student can graduate.
With the change to the policy. the decision to allow an early graduation “is taken off the board,” Superintendent Wade Carney said. “It’s on me to make the hard decision.”
Board President Eldredge Boyd said, to his knowledge, most other districts don’t have a policy regarding early graduation.
Questions about the policy arose in October, when three requests for early graduation came before the board.
Stinson said this month that one of the students had withdrawn her request because an expected medical procedure had been delayed.
Of the other two, one was close to the required 3.0 grade-point average, at 2.8. That student’s parents had talked with Stinson about early graduation, and not completed the application, but are supportive of the student and believe she would succeed in community college.
The other student is behind in online coursework, Stinson said, adding she believed that situation would “work itself out.”
In other business, the board:
• Learned that Tylertown High School won a $3,225 grant for the child nutrition program to promote healthy snacks and activity.
• Discussed campus security cameras and mismatched dates on recordings.
Federal Programs Director Andy Brock said system is old and run-down internal batteries may allow dates to be reset if power goes out.
“For the system to work efficiently and effectively, we’re going to have to put some money into it,” Carney said. “A lot of that equipment is obsolete.”
• Approved CPR classes to be offered at the Career and Technology Center.
• Accepted the resignation of Dexter Attendance Center teacher Kimberly Brock.
• Hired Dawn Wilton Meyers as a teacher at Tylertown Elementary School, Donovan Harness as a part-time computer technician at the CTC, Debbie Smith as a part-time counselor and parent involvement coordinator, and Tyler Wall as assistant fast-pitch softball coach.
• Approved field trips to Southwest Theatres in Hattiesburg for Tylertown Primary and Elementary schools and Dexter and Salem attendance centers, for a unit on Dr. Seuss books; Columbia Theatre for Dexter students with high test scores; Tylertown’s Pizza Inn for Tylertown High School all-A’s luncheon; state dance competition in Oak Grove for Salem dance students;and regional dance competition in New Orleans for Salem Dance students.
