Columbus County Community Chat

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Monday night’s open school board forum on the dispute over the Gideons’ request to put Bibles in Columbus County fifth-grade classrooms shed light in a number of areas, but it also revealed that the waters are indeed untested and murky.

The county school board is in an untenable position, likely to be sued either way it chooses.

That’s bad news for Columbus County schoolchildren, who need the full attention and focus of school leaders to improve education in conditions that are difficult enough already.

We suggest that all sides contemplate practical solutions. Given time, things could be resolved without a court fight.

The first logical step would be to give the North Carolina School Board Association time to develop a model that all school boards could adopt and be in compliance with federal case law.

The “Practical Solution of the Night” award goes to the Baptist preacher who suggested that the sons and daughters of Christian families give Bibles to classmates who want them. It is allowed, and nobody will wind up in court.

The preacher’s oration could offer a silver lining to the entire affair.

What if the faith-based community took this opportunity to muster forces and really get involved in the schools? The school board has already said that it welcomes – and even encourages – churches and church members to volunteer in the schools.

Could the same group that met Monday night set a goal of doubling the number of the faith-based community who currently volunteer helping students learn to read, or by providing a strong, moral shoulder for vulnerable children to lean on?

If just one-tenth of the 6,700 people who signed the Gideon petition agreed to volunteer in the schools, what a blessing that would be for so many students.

That’s the hard work the faith-based community should be doing.

Our schools don’t need a court fight. What they need are practical solutions from practical people willing to roll up their sleeves and make a difference in the lives of our young people.

Representatives from area churches bring petitions containing more than 6,700 signatures.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Board of Education is facing one of its biggest decisions in recent years – a decision that could result in legal action from two opposing groups and a decision that will leave some folks angry, no matter what’s decided.

The school board met in open forum Monday night in the Cerro Gordo Elementary School auditorium to discuss its 2007 decision not to allow the Columbus County chapter of Gideons to offer Bibles to fifth graders throughout the system.

The auditorium was about two-thirds full with county residents mostly in favor of allowing the Gideons to continue the 35-year tradition.

Superintendent Dan Strickland opened the meeting with a detailed history of the events leading to the Monday night gathering.

He said that two years ago, after the board of education had already okayed the Gideons’ Bible request for spring 2006, he received a call from the state representative of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“We understand that in Columbus County, you have a policy of distributing Bibles,” Strickland said the representative asked. Strickland said there was no policy.

Strickland explained to the caller that the board had been approving a single request from Gideons to place Bibles on tables for fifth graders to pick up.

Strickland said that the ACLU representative informed him that the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals had ruled such a Bible distribution was unconstitutional.

He said that the ACLU guaranteed that if the practice were to continue, there would be a lawsuit.

Strickland said that the request had already been granted, but they would look at it for 2007.

At the same time, the Brunswick County Schools was dealing with the ACLU on the same issue.

The Brunswick County Board of Education elected that year to not allow the Gideons to distribute the Bibles in order to avoid what could be expensive litigation.

One year ago, when the Gideons submitted their annual request, the Columbus County board turned them down but offered to allow them to distribute at the high school level, which would be allowed under law.

The right thing

“Our thoughts as a board were that we were doing the right thing,” Strickland said. “We never took the Bible out of the school. We moved it from fifth grade to high school.”

Strickland pointed out that students can bring Bibles to school and give them to all of their friends if they wish.

Strickland said that in Brunswick County two years ago, there were six or seven organizations ready to file suit for equal access.

County schools’ attorney Bill Phipps spoke next.

“We’ve had the pleasure of working with the Gideons all of these years,” Phipps said, adding that there has never been a problem since “we live in the middle of the Bible Belt.

“But no one had ever shot a bullet across our bow,” he said of the 2006 letter from the ACLU.

No policy

Phipps said the real problem lies with the county’s lack of a policy, one way or the other, concerning open or closed forum schools.

He said that the N. C. School Board Association (NCSBA) is working to complete a new policy manual this spring that is aligned with recent court decisions.

To comply with recent court decisions, the school board must decide if it will practice open or closed forum.

In open forum, Phipps explained, all religious groups, and not just the Gideons, must be granted equal access to students.

That means, when the board chooses a day for Bible distribution, it must also provide equal space for any other religious group – Islamic, Buddhist, Hindu, Wiccan or in extreme cases, Satanists or witches.

In closed forum, no religious group is allowed any access at all to students.

Phipps said that the policy written by the board could allow community-based materials promoting Scouts or area festivals.

No objections

He said that the board has been able to accommodate the Gideons because there have been virtually no objections from parents and there has been little religious diversity in the county.

“We haven’t had a complaint about the Gideons except from the ACLU,” he said.

He said that without a policy, the ACLU will take a hard look at all of the school board’s actions and determine if it’s an open forum with equal access.

Phipps said that Brunswick’s superintendent said she had received literature from non-Christian religious organizations to pass out on the same day as the Bibles, including several boxes of colorful Wiccan literature from a Wiccan church in Asheville.

A note was attached that read, “When you display the Bibles, display ours also.”

Phipps said that if his fifth-grade kids had come home with the Koran or Buddhist and Wiccan materials, he would have explained what they were as he threw them away.

He said that the only element the board could control would be illegal matter such as pornography or material that encouraged illegal activity or sedition.

Legal help

Phipps said that the school board had been contacted by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), a Christian rights group with a history of fighting the ACLU.

The ADF said that if the school board follows a policy of equal access and permits the Gideons to distribute the Bibles, it would represent it for free in court, should litigation arise.

“We don’t have equal access,” Phipps said. “We couldn’t win. What we’re trying to do is make sure we comply.”

Liability issues

Phipps said that if the school board were to be sued in federal court by the ACLU or a disgruntled parent, each board member could stand to have a judgment against him.

The board’s liability insurance is from the NCSBA. Phipps said if the board is sued and it’s not in compliance with recent court rulings, the NCSBA will not cover any damages or costs.

Phipps said a judgment and/or attorney fees for the plaintiffs could run several thousand dollars. He said the superintendent and assistant superintendent could also be sued.

“Judgments are collectible from the people representing you who are trying to educate your children and grandchildren,”
Phipps told the audience.

He said the members of the administrative staff are reluctant to put their personal financial wellbeing in harm’s way.

“We’re here to educate, not litigate,” he said. Phipps said it would be difficult to justify one or two million dollars in judgments and damages.

Phipps said the board is doing a good job educating the county’s children and they don’t need to be distracted by a lawsuit.

“There is a lot of worry and anguish when you’re sued,” he said.

Ed Worley, a longtime member of the Gideons, spoke next.

He asked the board not only to allow the distribution of Bibles to this year’s fifth graders, but to also to sixth graders, since they received none last year.

He said that in the 35 years he has been involved, only six children had ever turned down a Bible.

He called the Bible distribution something that the students look forward to.

“You can read it on their lips and the expressions on their faces,” he said.

Worley said that the fifth grade was the ideal grade for the Bibles. He said high school students have too many other things on their minds.

Bleak picture

Kip Godwin spoke next.

“Mr. Phipps paints a bleak picture,” he began. “You can’t believe anything the ACLU tells you. You can’t take their advice as gospel on legal matters.”

He said that the ACLU and the ADF have cited cases that support their positions.

“I encourage the board not to side with the ACLU but to side with the Christians of the county.”

Godwin told the group that if the county’s Christians don’t take a stand now, it will only be a matter of time before Bibles won’t be allowed in homes and people will not be able to assemble in church.

“We’re in Columbus County,” he said. “This has got to go a different way.”

Godwin encouraged all to pray for the board. “We don’t want them to be sued,” he said. “If we see a policy adopted the right way, the ACLU will go away.

Bad position

“As a board, you are caught in the worst possible position you could be in,” he said, addressing the board members.

He said they could be facing a lawsuit by the ACLU if they decide one way and a lawsuit by the ADF if they decide another.

“The ADF can bring suit against you as well,” he said. He accused the board of discriminating against the Gideons.

Broken the law

“By your own practice, you have broken the law,” he said. “You need a policy of equal access.

“Does that open the door to the Wiccans?” he asked. “They have the same right to assemble as we do. We’ve got to allow them all in. In Columbus County, it’s a little bit of a red herring to cite those examples.”

Godwin said that the law may not apply to just religious groups, but could also apply to Scouts and area festivals that wish to distribute literature.

Godwin suggested that a policy include the requirement that a religious group’s representative be present during the distributions of material.

“If you want to distribute materials, don’t ship it from Ashville,” he said, referring to the Wicca materials in Brunswick County. “You have to present it yourself.

“I don’t mind putting God’s word up against anything else offered,” he said. “Either you have a policy open for everything or not.”

Illegal act

Godwin said he didn’t think anyone there wanted to do something illegal, but he repeated his charge that the denial of the Gideon request was “an illegal act of discrimination perpetrated by the school board.

“You didn’t have to allow us to be on the agenda,” he said. “We appreciate this opportunity.”

Signatures

In the most dramatic moment of the evening, Godwin called for the representatives of more than three dozen churches to bring to the stage their petitions.

As they did, each church representative called out the number of signatures they had collected.

More that 6,700 signatures were gathered. The meeting switched to the open meeting portion. Two people spoke.

First was Dulah Baptist Church minister Ragsdale Allsbrook.

“Let them sue,” he said, adding that he was troubled when he first heard about the board’s denial of the Gideons’ request.

Sitting idly by

But he had a different take.

“Are we expecting the Gideons to do what we Christians ought to be doing?” he said. “We’ve been lazy and we’ve let (the Gideons distribute Bibles) while we sit idly by.”

He said he was thankful for the Gideons. “If lives are changed, it’s by the word of God,” he said. “The best method to distribute Bibles is by students.”

He suggested giving church youth Bibles to give to their friends.

‘”We’re going to take the offense,” he said. “God will do the rest. We need to be wise as serpents and harmless as does.”

A teary-eyed Allsbrook returned to his seat amid a standing ovation.

Strickland reiterated Allsbrook’s comment saying that students can distribute Bibles of their own accord.

The last speaker was Andrea Miller, a member of Hinson’s Crossroads Baptist Church.

She recalled receiving her red Gideon’s Bible as a fifth grader and how much it meant to her. Her daughter received one also several years ago.

“It’s wonderful to see the light of God’s word in a child’s eyes,” she said. “I believe our laws stem from our Bible and God laid down the first laws.”

She said that if other groups and religions place their materials in the schools, it will be the duty of parents to say to their children – “Hey, you don’t pick up that stuff.

“These kids need these Bibles. Some kids are from bad homes. These might be the only Bibles they get. I appreciate what the Gideons do, even if it means other groups’ stuff will be beside it.”

Keep partnerships

Strickland stressed how important the churches are to the schools and that he didn’t want to see any partnerships with churches come to an end.

He cited the Good News Clubs at two schools, the Bible Club at one of the high schools, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Meet at the Pole prayer programs as well as some church-based after-school tutoring programs in place for students at Hallsboro-Artesia Elementary School.

The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (DPI) has chosen Columbus County Schools as one of two school systems in the state to be part of a new initiative to discover root causes of low student performance and what the districts’ strengths and weaknesses are.

DPI will send a team here and to Lexington City Schools over a three-year period to find ways to reverse low student performance.

Our hope is that the experiment will be a learning experience for both local educators – and especially for DPI.

DPI has a diminished reputation among the local education community that it must overcome.

For too long, DPI has made decisions from its ivory tower in Raleigh, decisions that have translated poorly to rural areas like Columbus County. Words like “out of touch” and “pie-in-the-sky” are often heard.

It’s no wonder that many teachers left Tuesday’s meeting with a heavy dose of skepticism.

But let’s be positive here. This experiment, which Columbus County is lucky to be a part of, has a chance to work.
At least one good decision has been made already – that this is a three-year process, not a six-month or one-year dog and pony show.

The time spent here will give DPI a first-hand look at what it’s like to educate students in a poor area where issues like low parent involvement and literacy, a lack of emphasis at home on education and poverty-related social ills make teaching a monumental task. We can’t think of a better laboratory than Columbus County.

And it’s not like teachers and administrators here aren’t trying. They are, but when one walks through Wal-mart, for example, and sees a parent or guardian slapping their children around, or realizes what young children are exposed to in movies, music and television, it’s easy to see that education has to be more than reading, writing and arithmetic. It’s so sad to see bright, young people beaten down by a crumbling or non-existent support system, but that’s what teachers are up against.

Our hope is that DPI will truly see this as an opportunity to create something that – in their own words – will be “national model.”

Likewise, we hope that local teachers and educators will participate willingly. The folks at DPI may recommend radical changes, and teachers need to be prepared to embrace them because these changes just might work. Radical change may be the only solution, in fact, we’ll be disappointed if at least a few extraordinary and bold initiatives aren’t tried.

If there’s one catch phrase that must be remembered during this process, it is “open-minded,” and it’s got to be from both sides.

Clearly, what’s being done now isn’t working, in large part because of social changes that have occurred outside the classroom over the years.

Education must evolve with those changes.

It will be a shining achievement for both the county schools and DPI if that evolution begins right here.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

During its Nov. 13 meeting, the Whiteville City Schools Board of Education heard a legislative update from Superintendent Dr. Randall Shaver.

Topics included the school calendar, school tax districts and merger studies.

Shaver reported on the statutes of North Carolina General Assembly House Bill 359, which would restore some flexibility to the dates for school startup.

The current law, enacted two years ago, requires all schools in North Carolina to begin classes no sooner than Aug. 25.

Prior to that, the city schools had been starting around the middle of August.

HB 359 would allow districts to apply for exceptions to the start date for district-wide purposes, such as working in partnership with a local community college.

The Whiteville City Schools works in conjunction with Southeastern Community College on many junior and senior courses.

Shaver said that an earlier start date would better accommodate Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams.

“It addresses the unique problems that schools with block schedules have,” Shaver said. “I believe that every school system should have the flexibility to determine its own calendar. This is an attempt to gain that flexibility back.”

Shaver said the bill was in a good position to be voted on when the General Assembly convenes for its short session in 2008.

Shaver said that another bill, HB 1740, is bound to raise some eyebrows.

Known as the School Board Fiscal Accountability Act, it would remove the obligation of local school financing from county commissioners and place it with elected school boards.

Instead of the state’s county commissions setting tax rates for schools, the school boards would.

Shaver said that North Carolina is one of the few states that doesn’t allow school boards that option.

Shaver said the law would allow schools boards to levy and collect taxes and take away the fiscal school accountability from the commissioners.

Shaver said that both local school systems have been “flat funded” by the commission for three years, which is actually a decrease in funding when inflation and rising fuel prices are factored in.

Shaver said that the North Carolina School Boards Association is lobbying for passage of the measure in 2008 and was asking for a resolution and help in lobbying legislators.

Shaver said the school board could operate more efficiently if allowed to collect its own money.

“I hope it will pass,” said board member Greg Merritt. “One of our county commissioners made statements about us abusing our funds. It shows how little they know about the funding of the school system. I think it would benefit this county if it does pass.”

Shaver said the current bill is the closest any has come to being seriously looked at.

Shaver said that in most cases where school boards had been given tax authority, the taxes have come down. He cited South Carolina as an example.

“Hopefully, (the commissioners) would not continue to tax at the same rate,” Merritt said.

“This would be an opportunity to work with the county commissioners,” said Chairman Carlton Prince.

Shaver said the school board needed to meet with the commissioners.

‘We don’t want them to feel threatened,” he said, “They are doing the best they can with what they have. This would be removing from them a huge responsibility. This board should have that responsibility.”

“This might be a good time to have a dialogue session with our legislators and commissioners,” Prince said.

Shaver mentioned that since Sen. Tony Rand’s Senate Bill 120 – to fund only one school district per county – had failed to pass in the state senate, Rand had managed to attach at the last minute a study on the feasibility of school merger to a bill that will study the 10 funding formulas used by the state for its schools.

The study would determine if reducing the number of school districts would save significant money.

Shaver said that the existing city school districts need to join forces and lobby against the possibility of merger.

“We need to stay on top of this,” he said. “Everywhere we look, the big systems are breaking up into smaller units.”

He cited the findings of the (Bill) Gates Foundation that smaller is better.

He said that Rand is moving in the opposite direction.

The second largest school system in the state – Mecklenburg – has divided itself into seven smaller school districts, each with a supervisor and a guidance committee answerable to the superintendent and big school board.

“This was at the urging of Judge (Howard) Manning who understands that smaller is better. If large isn’t working, then small might. Now, Sen. Rand wants us to be larger without any say-so from us.”

Shaver, who taught cost analysis debate at the high school level, said the overall public school budget in North Carolina is $6.5 billion.

He said the potential savings of $10 million would pale in comparison to the loss of knowing the best ways to teach a smaller school population.

Shaver recommended that the Whiteville City Schools join the small city school consortium being put together by the 15 affected units.

Each school system would contribute $4,000.

“I think the $4,000 would be money well spent,” Shaver said

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

“When I look at the condition of safety of the Whiteville City Schools, I have great concern,” said Whiteville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Randall Shaver as he began his introductory remarks to the more than 100 parents and school employees during Tuesday night’s PTA school safety forum. “There is a preponderance of weapons and we must take action.”

The forum came about after Shaver met with the system’s four PTA presidents. Confusion and concern over any new rules, especially those pertaining to book bags and pocketbooks, became the driving force. Shaver and the presidents thought a public forum would answer concerns and calm fears.

Central Middle School PTA President -elect Becky High moderated the meeting.

Shaver told the group that school safety was an administrative issue, not a school board issue. Each school’s school improvement team (SIT) and principal came up with the proposals presented.

“The schools need to be flexible to do what is necessary without constraints from the board,” Shaver said, adding that he will look at the recommendations from each school.

“Ultimately, that decision will be certified by my office,” he said.

He said the new rules won’t be the most convenient but the students will be safer.

Shaver said the primary safety issues are weapons on campus, visitors on campus, violence, fighting, drug use, crisis response and crisis communications. (See full story.)

Two school employees test positive for drugs after system adds random drug testing to mandatory tests.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

While drug testing of employees was adopted as policy by the Whiteville City Schools Board of Education in 1995, it hasn’t been used for much more than the annual testing of school bus drivers, coaches (who regularly drive activity buses to and from sporting events) and new employees.

Recently, the school board decided to follow through with the full extent and intent of that policy by performing random drug tests, as well as several drug tests “for cause” on existing employees.
The result?

Two school employees tested positive.

Superintendent Randall Shaver said Friday that the names could not be released because it’s a personnel matter.

He said that the state allows for drug testing at random and “for cause.”

“For cause” testing can occur following the reports or observation of suspicious behavior.

For the random testing, the school system uses a computer to select the candidates.

Shaver said the employees who failed the test have the option of appealing or having their own tests performed.

One of the employees is not appealing.

If the second employee opts for his or her own test, then passes it and appeals, Shaver said the board would take that into consideration.

Several other school systems in the state have undertaken random drug testing of teachers this year.

By RAY WYCHE
Staff writer

The annual Southeastern Community College Foundation fund drive kicked off Tuesday night with the largest gift in the foundation’s history with the announcement that that the Ben L. Nesmith III estate had willed $3 million to the college.

The SCC trustees and the directors of the foundation have approved the expenditure of $1 million of the bequest for the construction of an amphitheater on the campus on land recently given to the college by the James Allen Cartrette family.

SCC Foundation Director Richard Wright made the announcement of the gift at the fund drive kickoff dinner and said that long range plans for the college, made at least 20 years ago, included an amphitheatre.

Columbus County commissioners have agreed to fund annual maintenance costs of the amphitheatre.

The foundation’s fund drive kickoff annually seeks gifts and pledges from those present and this year’s goal has been set at $165,000. A total of about $91,000 was paid or pledged Tuesday night. Terry Mann of Whiteville is chairman of this year’s fund drive and Henry Edmund is foundation chairman.

More than $250,000 in additional endowments and gifts were announced at the dinner Tuesday night, including new contributions to the Lloyd Batten Scholarship Fund to bring its total to $215,000, and a $30,000 gift from Blue Cross-Blue Shield of North Carolina in honor of Rhone Sasser, past BCBS director and former president of United Carolina Bank that later merged with BB&T.

A new Allied Health Care scholarship in honor of the late Eleen Williams was announced at the kickoff, and Heather Brown, currently a nursing student at SCC, was awarded the first scholarship.

The Williams scholarship was presented by Eleen’s son Johnny.

In announcing the gift, Wright recalled some of Nesmith’s earlier life and the events leading up to the bequest.

A native of Tabor City, Nesmith served as an AirCorps officer in the Pacific in World War II and later graduated from The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. He and his brother Frank operated an insurance agency for several years. Nesmith was known as “Little Ben” since his father was Ben Nesmith Jr., an early official with the old Waccamaw Bank and Trust Company.

Nesmith retired in 1986 and devoted his time to managing his property and investments. He was active in civic and church affairs in Tabor City and helped establish Westside Baptist Church.

He was predeceased by his wife Lucy and his only child, daughter Martha Anne “Mopsy.”

In planning their estates, after making provision for each other and their daughter, the Nesmiths directed that a “significant portion” of their residuary estates be given to SCC “for capital improvements, curriculum and student scholarship needs,” Wright said.

Wright said that at his (Wright’s) suggestion, Nesmith met with SCC President Matlock and Sue Hawks, executive secretary of the SCC Foundation, to discuss the prospective gift.

The gift will fund the amphitheatre that will be called the Nesmith Bicentennial Amphitheatre since it will be constructed during the 200th year of Columbus County’s existence.

SCC will use a consultant in deciding the exact location on campus for the structure.

The county Bicentennial Committee is planning for some events of the commemoration to be held in the amphitheatre, if possible.

The amphitheatre is expected to be used by different groups, including high school drama classes.

Columbus County Schools are first in 23-county region.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

The Columbus County Schools have something to crow about.

The career-technical education students had a proficiency rate on end of course tests of 80.6 percent, the fifth highest rating in the state.

Of the 23 school systems that comprise the Southeast Region, the system ranked first.

The county system has enjoyed a steady climb, increasing its scores annually since the 2001-2002 school year when its students had a proficiency rate of only 58.5 percent.

This past year was its largest gain, going from 69 percent proficient to 80.6 percent.

Statewide, the scores ranged from a low of 37.5 percent to a high of 83.4 percent.

The Whiteville City Schools had a proficiency rate of 60.8 percent. Other career-technical proficiency rates in area school systems included: Bladen, 54.9 percent; Brunswick, 66.5 percent; Clinton City, 71.6 percent; Cumberland, 59.1 percent; New Hanover, 67.3 percent; Pender, 69 percent; Robeson, 58.3 percent; Sampson, 72.6 percent and Scotland, 45.1 percent.

“Columbus County Career-Technical Education has been involved with end of course testing for the past 16 years, longer than any other program area,” said Keith Jefferys, the director of career-technical education in the county. “Results from the data have shown steady improvement every year since 2000. Teachers have utilized this data to improve the way students learn and the way information is delivered.”

Jefferys said that career-technical education, which used to be known as vocational education, offers credentialing in all program areas.

“Our focused curriculum provides students a no-nonsense approach to their career aspirations,” he said. “Students use up-to-date equipment in live-project simulations giving them practical application experience they can transfer to post-secondary education or work immediately after high school.

“Columbus County career-technical education is committed to providing students a quality educational experience. We are proud to say that career-technical education in Columbus County Schools continues to rank among the leaders by providing quality program choices to students,” Jefferys said.

The county’s three high schools have extensive career-tech programs.

South Columbus High School has one of the most advanced automotive service technology programs in the state.
SCHS and West Columbus High School build houses each year that are auctioned in the spring.

“Our professional teaching staff is well aware of the challenges our students will face in the highly competitive job market and they are prepared to help students reach their full potential,” Jefferys said. “Our award-winning college tech prep programs prepare students to make a seamless transition from high school to the community college and beyond.”

Jefferys said that career-technical education foundation courses at the middle grade level help provide students with workplace readiness and work-skill basics,

He said that those skills will help students make good decisions when they choose their courses of study.

Competency-based courses are offered in five program areas, with each having school-based and work-based learning opportunities.

In the areas of trade and industry, the county high schools offer cabinetmaking, welding, masonry, construction technology and computer engineering.

In agriculture, they offer, landscape construction and maintenance, agri-science, agricultural production, management and engineering, horticulture and environmental and natural resource studies.

In business and office education, they offer principles of business, business law, small business and entrepreneurship, computerized accounting, business and financial management, computer applications, keyboarding, business and electronic communication and business advanced studies.

In family and consumer sciences, the high schools offer teen living, clothing design, foods and nutrition, interior design and housing, parenting and child development, life management, early childhood education, culinary arts and hospitality and family and consumer sciences advanced studies.

In health occupations, the schools offer health team relations, allied health science and advanced health sciences studies.

“We have put a tremendous amount of effort into improving our career-technical education programs over the last 15 years and the outcome is looking very bright,” Superintendent Dr. Dan Strickland said. “Our teachers have persevered through dedication and diligence. Our students have met the challenge and proven that they can excel.

“I am pleased we are moving in the right direction and look forward to continued student success in the years to come.”
Strickland added that career-technical education is an essential part of a student’s overall curriculum.

“Math, English, science and social studies are all important academic skills and through our career-technical education programs, students experience the rigor, relevance and relationships essential to the transference of those skills to employment.

“Career-technical education will play an important role in the new courses of study from the Department of Public Instruction and in the county’s strategic improvement plan. We will continue to support and improve programs in order to provide students the best possible preparation for their career choice.”

Columbus County’s career-technical education programs serve more 3,500 students in grades 7-12.

A possible book bag ban by Whiteville City Schools administrators set off a wave of disapproval last week.

The idea is well-intended because of recent incidents, but the practical aspect of a ban left both parents and students in a fury.

There are at least two sides to the issue. Students’ book bags are essentially their lockers. There is little time between classes to exchange books or retrieve shorts and shoes for gym; bags must be packed to the gills for the entire day.

On the other hand, school administrators believe that banning book bags would limit drugs and weapons from being brought onto campus. The administration has said student safety is a focus, and the ban would reduce opportunities for students to hide contraband.

What is needed, however, is a discussion among parents, students, teachers and school improvement teams before administrators hand down an edict. A discussion would give administrators the opportunity to present their case, perhaps to show that book bag bans in other schools have worked. A discussion would allow parents and students to reiterate the multiple problems a ban would bring.

There are other means that should be put on the table in any discussion about school safety. These include, among others:

• Send more students who break the rules or who are perpetually problematic to North Whiteville Academy, or expel the incorrigible. The state recently recognized North Whiteville Academy as one of only three alternative “schools of promise” because of the extraordinary job the staff does to counsel troubled students and to set them on a path of learning. North Whiteville Academy not only separates troubled kids from those who want to learn, it is an effective teaching institution.

• Bring the drug dog onto campus, unannounced, at will and often. Dealers and users are adept at hiding drugs. The dogs are hard to fool.

Dogs can also be trained to sniff out firearms and ammunition. Raising money for such a dog could be accomplished in one day.

• Institute a school uniform policy at Central and the high school. No more gangster wear. No more skin and tats. Gang members and gang wannabes will find ways to show their allegiances even with uniforms, but uniforms are an equalizer when clothes define students rather than their behavior and performance among their peers.

Parents should appreciate the schools’ attempts to make school safer but the decision shouldn’t be unilateral. Proposals such as book bag bans and school uniforms are controversial and have pluses and minuses. Because parents and the schools have a common goal –safety – solutions determined by community discussion and consensus are how it should be done.

By FULLER ROYAL
Staff Writer

The details aren’t worked out and no regulations are in place, but a possible ban on book bags at Whiteville High School has raised concerns with students and parents alike.

In the wake of last month’s post-football game murder at Lake Waccamaw and the rumored possible retaliation at WHS that following Monday — 70 percent of the students stayed home — Whiteville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Randall Shaver outlined what he plans to do to make the school safer.

Included in that list was the possible banning of book bags.

Last week, it was announced to students that the ban might begin Nov. 1 for WHS as well as Central Middle and Edgewood Elementary schools.

Whiteville Primary School would not be affected.

Other than the announcement, details were sketchy. No one was sure if mesh or clear book bags could be substituted or if the ban would extend to all types of bags, including pocketbooks or purses.

Critics of the ban say that it’s overkill and ask how students will be able to haul 20 or more pounds of books to and from school and from class to class.

Since the murder and retaliation rumor, WHS students have been going through metal detection devices each morning before their first class.

The process is time consuming – nearly 800 students have to be “scanned” and almost as many book bags, pocketbooks, gym bags and band instrument cases have to be visually or physically searched.

WHS Principal John Westberg said the process has gotten faster but still takes a large amount of time in the mornings.

Westberg had no specifics to offer on what the final plan would be. Shaver said that the system had yet to determine what exactly would be banned.

Each school’s school improvement team is working out the details.

Shaver said that his experience with other systems had shown him that an outright ban on book bags was the best way to go. There has been no final decision.