GENTRY — The Gentry School Board met in special session Monday to hear an expulsion recommendation from school superintendent Randy C. Barrett regarding a student who had been found in possession of a folding knife while attending a home football game.
The student, a minor, had been arrested in a nonrelated matter at the game and police officials haddiscovered the knife in the course of the arrest.
The student’s mother was present to appeal the issue and presented, in open session, her belief that extenuating circumstances warranted the board rejecting the superintendent’s recommendation. In her closing statement, she noted that her son, a senior, had no history of violence against other students in his school disciplinary record and that he had been enrolled in the school system since kindergarten.
After retiring to executive session for further deliberation, the board returned to open session where board member Clarence Kreger moved to reject the superintendent’s recommendation. The motion was seconded by Gary Dunlap and passed 6-0 (board member Randall Bolinger was not present due to job-related reasons).
In the only other item on the agenda, the boardunanimously accepted the superintendent’s recommendation to enter into a service agreement with Innovative Solutions for Educational Partnerships for the purpose of billing Medicaid for performing vision and hearing screens for selected students within the district.
The board is scheduled to hold its regular November meeting at 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 14, in the district office board room.
News, Pages 7 on 11/09/2011