South Pike County School Board Holds February Meeting: Expulsions, Transfers, and New Contracts

The South Pike County School Board convened for its regular monthly meeting on February 24, 2024, where several key decisions were made regarding student discipline, transfers, and staff contracts.

The meeting began with a closed Student Discipline Hearing, as requested by the parents of a student. Following the hearing, the Board voted to expel the student for the remainder of the 2024-2025 school year. The motion was made by board members Scott Maroon and seconded by Robert Silva, passing with a unanimous vote of 7-0.

In other student-related business, the Board considered a request for a 9th-grade student to transfer to the Blevins School District. After a brief discussion, the Board approved the transfer with a 7-0 vote, following a motion by Robert Silva and seconded by Cory Ballard.

The board also approved extending the contracts of James Riley as Elementary School Principal and Davey Jones as High School Principal for the 2025-2026 school year. The motion was made by Cory Ballard and seconded by Alyssa Duggan, with a unanimous vote of 7-0.

Superintendent Tanya Wilcher presented the Superintendent’s Report, which included a legislative update. Wilcher informed the Board that the “bell-to-bell” cell phone-free policy had passed and was awaiting the governor’s signature. The district will need to review the policy in preparation for its implementation next school year.

Additionally, Wilcher announced that the district had received a $62,000 school safety grant, which will be used to address the remaining safety priorities on campus.

Lastly, Wilcher noted that the next School Board meeting would be rescheduled to Tuesday, March 18, 2024, at 6:00 PM.

The meeting concluded with a focus on the district’s ongoing efforts to improve safety, policy implementation, and the continued support of its staff.