Habersham County School Superintendent Matthew Cooper and the Board of Education (BOE) began the conversation on how to make up for the recent missed days due to Tropical Storm Irma.
“There is a lot I could say about what we have experienced last week,” stated Cooper.
Students and staff were forced to miss the entire week of school after Irma left many schools without power and most roads impassable.
“In my six years as Superintendent, I’ve never experienced a storm like this,” Cooper said.
Initially, there was some discussion on the alternative days students and staff could attend school to make up for the loss, such as reallocating snow days, shortening fall breaks and adding days to the end of the year. However, due to Gov. Nathan Deal declaring a state of emergency for all five days, Cooper and the BOE decided it would be best to declare a grace period for that week.
The grace period would result in none of the days missed having to be made up, and staff would receive pay for that week. The remaining calendar would stay unchanged.
“Principals want to maximize instructional time for learning,” stated Cooper. “However, due to the nature of the storm and destruction, the board felt it would be best not to penalize students and staff.”
During October’s BOE meeting, the board is expected to vote to approve the motion for the September grace period.
Hazel Grove staff members honored
The BOE also took time during their meeting to recognize staff at Hazel Grove Elementary for their outstanding work.
The first award of the night was handed out to ESOL instructor Bea Samples. Samples was awarded The Extra Mile Award, presented by BOE member Russ Nelson. This award is given to a recipient on the recommendation by the principal and staff for going above and beyond for the school.
The second award of the night was the Service Above Self Award, presented to custodian Linda Hopper by BOE chair Robert Barron. This award is presented by Clarkesville Rotary Club to those who’ve put their school’s needs above all in order to make it a better place for students and staff.
The meeting concluded with the BOE handing out two graduation diplomas to previous students, Ryan Elrod (2002) and Andres Delgado (2009). Neither student attended the meeting.
