Oct 2000
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Grades 7 and 8 at SLHS return to normalBy David BrisonThe parents of Grade 7 & 8 students at SLHS found out this week that their children will no longer be combined in one 36-pupil room for 50% of the time. Ms. Keitha Smith, who was transferred to Mountain Grove two days a week on September 18, will return to teaching her grade 7 class full time. Ms. Cynda McAdoo will resume teaching her Grade 8 class.
Principal Tom Taylor learned on Monday, October 2 that the Limestone administration had reversed their decision. He said that the situation would return to normal on Monday October 9.
The result of the administration's previous decision, with no advance notice, to combine the two classes, is that for three of the five weeks since school started, the 36 pupils and their teachers, have been in an educational setting which parents, teachers, and local administrators knew from the beginning was wrong. The combined classes have a high proportion of students with special needs (11 are identified and an additional 7 are "informally" identified). The classes needed more teacher instructional time - not less.
Jack Fox, area superintendent, who was in Sharbot Lake Friday night at the SLHS commencement, said, "I think they needed more lead time to make it work. That, and the level of exceptionality (students with special needs) were factors in the reversal of the decision." He met with parents on Wednesday September 27, and as a result reported back to his administration who then accepted his recommendation to reverse the earlier decision. All other appeals of similar decisions to combine classes were rejected.
Fox could have heard what parents had to say the week before, but he and other administrators missed the parent's meeting on Thursday September 21 (Parents stood up by Limestone Board officials - The Frontenac News, September 26). Fox also stated the story in the News was brought to his attention by several people. He implied that the press coverage was important in the reversal of the decision.
Barry O'Connor, the Director of Education, also at the SHLS commencement, refused to discuss the matter with this reporter. He said that, "I am here to celebrate and I'll only talk about matters related to the celebration." He went on to say that he would talk about it in his office.
What I had intended to ask O'Connor, after hearing what Fox quite graciously took time to tell me, was, "What information did you have when you reversed the decision to combine the classes that you didn't have, or should have had, when you made the initial decision?"
The News will follow up and report on his response.
