As school year kicks off, York County parents take note of important policies

There are important policies for parents and guardians to note as the 2017-18 school year kicks off.

Here are a few:

Lunch and breakfast

Each school district has its own policy regarding student lunch debt, but most offer an alternate meal to students who have charged more than allowed to their account. District officials also tell parents and guardians in advance when their child’s account is running low.

▪ The Chester County and Rock Hill school districts provide an alternate meal to elementary students who have charged more than $10, according to the meal policy.

▪ The Fort Mill school district allows elementary students to charge up to four meals before they are served a substitute, said Roland Cabading, student nutrition department supervisor.

▪ The York school district does not have a detailed meal policy that outlines maximum balances allowed, said Tim Cooper, spokesperson. Principals are responsible for the overall operation of their school’s cafeteria.

▪ The Clover school district begins making automated phone calls when a student has less than $6 in his or her account, said Bryan Dillon, public information officer.

▪ Lancaster County elementary students may charge meals up to five days before a letter is sent to parents, according to the district.

The typical alternate meal consists of a sandwich, fruit and vegetable, with variations across the districts. All district officials say these meals meet nutritional requirements.

Prices for breakfast and lunch can be found on each school district’s website. Starting this school year, all Chester County students can eat breakfast for free.

Districts also have policies regarding snacks.

A district wellness committee for Rock Hill schools is surveying school staff, school level administration, parents, students and others to come up with a standardized list of acceptable snacks and drinks for elementary schools, said Sadie Kirell, lead nurse for Rock Hill schools. The list applies to foods made available, but not sold, during the school day.

Expulsion policy

The Rock Hill school district recently updated its expulsion policy to minimize time out of class for students facing expulsion.

Students who faced expulsion, but did not have a final answer on whether it would be upheld in appeals, were cut off from education for nearly two months before a final decision.

The school board approved an updated policy in June requiring that an expelled student appear before a district hearing officer within five school days after a particular incident.

Hearing officers have discretion to uphold an expulsion, overturn an expulsion and send the student back to his or her assigned school, or recommend a student be sent to the alternative program, Superintendent Kelly Pew said.

Parents and legal guardians are made aware of expulsion hearings faster. The information may come by by phone and in writing, and will tell the time and place a student is to report to a hearing officer.

That shortens the process overall, said School Board Chairman Jim Vining.

“Our goal was to minimize time away from the education environment,” Vining said.

Suspensions and expulsions are often associated with higher dropout rates, poor academic performance and future suspensions, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, a U.S. Department of Education entity that analyzes education data.

Sixteenth Circuit Solicitor Kevin Brackett says time away from school often lands juveniles in prison.

Repeating third grade

Starting this school year, South Carolina third-graders who struggle to read on grade level could be forced to repeat the grade.

It’s a measure designed to ensure students don’t move on before they are ready, said Ryan Brown, spokesperson for S.C. Department of Education.

Anne Witte, English and language arts instructional supervisor for Clover school district, said third grade is a shift for students as they go from learning to read to reading to learn information.

State law will require third-grade students who score lowest on the state’s reading assessment to be retained, starting in 2017-18, unless they meet an exemption. However, the law does not apply to home-schooled students.

Exemptions include: students whose individual studies’ plans call for alternative assessment or reading interventions; students with limited English proficiency; and students who show improvement in summer reading camps.

Schools will continue to evaluate students based on the district’s own reading assessments, combined with teacher observations and communication with parents, to understand if a student needs more support, and to determine if a student should be held back, said Ann Bogan, executive director of elementary education for Fort Mill school district.

Parents should take advantage of reading coaches and summer reading camps. They should also read with their children -- street signs, books, food labels and menus, Witte said.

Athlete transfer rules

Rock Hill student-athletes should be aware of intradistrict transfer rules, which took effect Jan. 1. The rules require that high school athletes sit out for a year if they transfer solely for athletic reasons.

Under the rules, any student-athlete who has a change of address within the district, from the second semester of eighth grade through their senior year of high school, are ineligible to participate in sports for a year.

The rule also allows student-athletes transferring for legitimate reasons, such as unforeseen catastrophes, homelessness and parents’ divorce, to appeal their 365-day wait period to a five-person panel.

Random drug testing

The Rock Hill school district also is considering a policy that would call for random drug testing among student-athletes.

Bill Warren, athletic director at Rock Hill High School, proposed a pilot drug testing program to the Rock Hill school board during a January work session.

If approved by the school board, drug tests would begin with winter sports in 2017, which include boys and girls basketball and wrestling.

This story was originally published August 18, 2017 at 3:49 PM with the headline "As school year kicks off, York County parents take note of important policies."