School board recognizes students, workers, hears recommendations
PICTURED HERE (left to right): Dr. Tim Newman (DCSD Superintendent), Wanda Hassler (DCSD Board Chair), Jalen Lewis (Hartsville Middle School student and Junior Scholar), Jasmine Reyes (Hartsville Middle School student and Junior Scholar) and Don Doggett (Hartsville Middle School Principal). NOT PICTURED: Ella Smith (Hartsville Middle School student and Junior Scholar.) PHOTO BY STEPHAN DREW
By Stephan Drew, Editor
When the Darlington County School District Board of Education met on Monday, April 17, 2023, they recognized South Carolina Junior Scholars, SkillsUSA State Champions and the many hardworking social workers in Darlington County. They also heard recommendations from a former student and a parent.
Abigail Stokes, a 2020 Hartsville High School graduate spoke to council regarding students with Celiac Disease and the limited food options available at county schools. Stokes was diagnosed with the condition approximately 15 years ago and described having to eat a salad and a piece of fruit at school every day because there were no gluten-free options. She suggested that the board create a gluten-free area in the cafeteria lines and is proposing a new bill be sent to Columbia in order to make it a requirement across the state.
Sharon Moore, mother of Senior student Schuyler Moore, addressed council about her daughter’s car accident and how it left her behind in her school work. Schuyler was in a traffic accident recently and, while recovering from her injuries, was on homebound status. Moore described how her daughter has fallen behind in her school work and doesn’t have much time to catch up. Moore explained that the school allows freshmen, sophomores and juniors longer time to make up their work but, seniors only have until graduation. She requested that the school make some allowances to give extra time for seniors if they have had a tragedy occur similar to her daughter’s.
Andrea Campbell, Lead Social Worker for the Darlington County School District, gave a presentation entitled “We Rise”, which described the duties, actions and responsibilities of social workers across the county, some of the harsh conditions they encounter and the compassion necessary for such a position. “Part of our job is to help parents help themselves,” Campbell stated. She listed the social workers in her department and detailed the work they do every day. DCSD Superintendent Dr. Tim Newman praised the group and related his own personal side of the story. Newman’s wife is a teacher and has shared firsthand experience regarding some of the conditions students live with in their daily lives.
Eight Darlington County students were named 2023 South Carolina Junior Scholars as part of a State Department of Education program designed to identify and encourage eighth-grade students with exceptional academic talent in South Carolina. They are: Hannah Loggie, Jarron Kirk and Marlee Parker from Darlington Middle School, Ella Smith, Jalen Lewis and Jasmine Reyes from Hartsville Middle School, Peyton Mendiola and Tristan Collins from Spaulding Middle School.
There were 2 students who won first place in their competitions at the 2023 South Carolina SkillsUSA convention. They are: Layten Vause of Hartsville High/DCIT, who won first place in the Job Demonstration competition, and Jordan Rauf, also of Hartsville High/DCIT, who won first place in the Electrical Construction Wiring competition.
The board voted to approve the new school calendar for the 2024-2025 school year. Out of 860 employees in the Darlington County School District, 73% of them chose Version B, which begins the school year on a Thursday instead of a Monday and, also allows a full week off for each of the 4 breaks during the school year.
In other business, the board approved policy revisions recommended by the South Carolina School Boards Association (SCSBA), which included updating the codes on many different subjects including service animals in the schools, admission of nonresident students, admission of homeless students, student rights and responsibilities, sexual discrimination, student dress codes, and the detention, suspension and expulsion of students.
The next meeting of the Darlington County School Board will take place on May 8, 2023.