By ALICIA LEONARD
In a follow-up to an earlier report, registered home school student numbers as well as voucher numbers for students coming into and going out of the county to attend school are in. Registered home school students in Walton County as of Oct. 16 account for 276 students in Walton County. Outgoing vouchers for other counties account for 410 students living in but not attending schools in Walton County. Incoming vouchers account for 65 students attending school in Walton but living outside the county.
The Walton County School Board (WCSB) met in a special session Oct. 22 at 2:30 p.m. to discuss federal grant applications, personnel recommendations and handle a total of nine expulsion requests.
Board Chairman Dennis Wallace was absent from the special session and Vice Chair Faye Leddon led the meeting.
Walton County School Superintendent Carlene Anderson brought before the board a request to apply for federal grant funding tied into the federal Race To The Top funds that could amount to between $20 – 30 million in funding for special training and special classes for future students. Board member Mark Davis questioned some criteria of the grants such as evaluation standards. Anderson responded that it was still early in the process and the criteria would be set forth by the federal body that oversaw the grants as well as the particulars of how they were administered. The board approved the grant application request unanimously.
The board then approved personnel recommendations unanimously. Next, the board approved a request 4-0 for the Walton Career Development Center to be able to process debit and credit card payments in person at the center. A representative told the board they had worked diligently over many months researching the safest and lowest cost method of implementing the payment system.
The board then moved on to student expulsions with much conversation over a few of the nine expulsion requests before them. Davis and board member Sharon Roberts were the most vocal in the discussion, especially over two separate cases. One of the cases involved a long-term expulsion of a student that had been expelled twice previously and was under a behavior contract. Board members questioned the documentation surrounding the case, before approving the expulsion.
Another case involved three students that had been expelled for 10 days for taking a sip of beer on a school bus that another student had brought. Roberts questioned Anderson’s recommendation that the three be allowed back with “time served.” Roberts remarked that many students with the same issue had faced harsher punishments. The board approved Anderson’s request 3-1, with Roberts being the nay vote. All other expulsion requests were approved unanimously.
To see the upcoming calendar and agendas as well as past minutes and information of the WCSB, go to www.walton.k12.fl.us/board.