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Superintendent says 'enough' with reckless bus drivers Gerald Stephens, superintendent of the Clarke County Schools System, has had enough of reckless driving by county school bus drivers. "You've got to draw the line somewhere," he said. "…We're having some bus drivers who are driving too fast - in some cases, recklessly," he told the school board Dec 13. "I'm going to the state troopers, and I'm going to the police department and sheriff's department. Those people are going to be ticketed, and they are going to pay it. "You warn somebody…but it doesn't mean a whole lot until it hits your pocketbook. "…The safety of those children are our first responsibility," he said. "It's a bad impression on the public to see those drivers driving like they do." Complaints have come from parents. The superintendent said he had to deal with three drivers just that week. "It may be a month before I hear anything out of another one." System officials periodically go out on the routes and check the speed of the drivers, he said. "…We've got some good ones." Stephens said he was talking about less than 10 bus drivers in the system. There are approximately 58 drivers in the school system. To remove a bus driver, system officials must go through a procedure. "Suspend them with pay to start with, then they are able to come back," he said. If things don't work out, school officials would have to proceed with termination. Stephens said he wants bus drivers using bad judgment to know there will be "zero tolerance" from now on. In other action from the Dec. 13 meeting, Stephens reported that the final inspection of the new buildings at Clarke County High School was being held that day. Staff was expected to begin moving into the new campus this week. An open house is planned for the new lunchroom at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2008. • The following agencies will receive funding, recommended by the At-Risk Committee: Almost Home, $8,800; Regional Child Advocacy Center, $10,500; Gosport's King's Glory To Thee, $7,200; Chance Community Center, $5,195; and the Drug Educational Council, $7,500. • The following personnel changes were approved: Resignations Woodie Pugh, retirement as teacher at Clarke County High; Alliece Massey, teacher at Jackson High; and Andrea Atchison and Astain Williams, bus drivers in the Coffeeville area. (Stephens said the resignations of these bus drivers had nothing to do with his concern about reckless driving); Employment Rodney Evans, agri-business teacher at Clarke County High; Jeff Kelly, new athletic director and head football coach at Jackson High; Rotch Dunagan, teacher and assistant football coach at Jackson High; and Charles May and Hilda Knight, bus drivers for the Coffeeville area; Catastrophic Sick Leave Athena Hubbert, teacher atWilson Hall Middle School (illness of Child). • Schools will close Dec. 20 for the Christmas and New Year's holidays and will resume on Jan. 7 (in-service for teachers) and Jan. 8 (students' first day in the new campus buildings). • The softball/baseball fields will be completed enough in time for the upcoming season, Stephens said. "Right now, we're looking at picking out scoreboards," he said. • Bills and accounts for October totaled $453,261.28. Payroll was in the amount of $2,095,809.10. For November, bills and accounts totaled $480,837.47. Payroll was $2,166,121.82.
• The next board meeting will be held at 4 p.m. on Jan. 24, 2008.
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