GENTRY -- A ninth grade student was expelled for the remainder of the year by the Gentry School Board for making threatening remarks to another student and for being in possession of a knife at school.
At the hearing, held April 9, the boy's mother presented testimony that her son had been enrolled in private counseling services since the incident. School superintendent, Randy C. Barrett, offered the board two alternative recommendations: a one calendar-year expulsion; or expulsion for the remainder of the year, documentation from the mother that counseling services would continue and a one-year assignment to the alternative school in the next school year.
Barrett noted that a one calendar-year expulsion would result in the student losing academic credit for three semesters and the second alternative would allow the student to recover missed credits, provide separation from the general student population and allow the student to demonstrate his ability to safely transition back to regular classes for his junior year. After deliberation in executive session, the board chose the second option.
In other business, the board accepted the resignations of Nick Bartmier as middle school teacher and coach. He served as head softball coach, head junior boys' basketball coach, assistant senior boys' basketball coach and assistant senior boys' basketball coach. He is leaving Gentry to serve as a principal at Lifeway Christian School. The board also accepted the resignation of Posey Summers -- middle school English as a Second Language instructor and retiring after 28 years of service; Kathy Baxter -- middle school media specialist and retiring after 35 years of service; Jayne Kooistra -- primary school Title I intervention instructor and retiring after 36 years of service; Rosa Jones -- special education aide and retiring after 23 years of service; and Janice Leroy -- middle school custodian and retiring after 17 years of service. The board also granted Family Medical Leave Act leave to David Nelson for his bus driving responsibilities and to teacher Chandra Sooter.
Final action of the board at its special meeting was to accept the superintendent's recommendation that the district assume the cost of moving the fence on school property along SWEPCO Road and along Pioneer Lane. The board took this action after hearing Barrett's report on the city of Gentry's effort, in cooperation with officials at the Flint Creek Power Plant, to build sidewalks at those locations.
The board also agreed to give the city an easement for the sidewalk contingent upon the project actually being implemented.
Barrett noted this improvement would benefit Gentry students and would be a precursor to future building plans for a new high school in that area.
General News on 04/16/2014