The Natchitoches Parish School Board approved the 2019-2020 Student Handbook at its Thursday meeting, June 6. Part of this included revisions to the Cell Phone Policy (SEE DOCUMENT BELOW).
Superintendent Dale Skinner said for the 2018-2019 school year there were 367 violations among 292 students, which accounts for 5.67 percent of students.
Principal Bill Gordy said Natchitoches Central High School had 204 offenses last year among the 1,300 students enrolled. Of those, 176 were first offenses.
Provencal Elementary/Jr. High Discipline Coordinator Dwayne Poe said K-8 students aren’t mature enough to handle phones.
“Having no phones at school makes us a better and stronger school,” he said. “There’s no place in education for a cellphone.”
The Board was informed that Natchitoches Central High School moved the date for its Homecoming from Oct. 25 to Oct. 11.
According to the new amended calendar, schools will be out during the week of NCHS Homecoming (Oct. 23-25). The concern was that students would miss out on homecoming activities if they were out of school the days leading up the football game.
Superintendent Dale Skinner said he’ll take a lot of credit for the mistake made in the creation of the new calendar.
Council member Emile Metoyer was assured that Natchitoches Parish Detention Center inmates and School Board maintenance staff will do some grass and weed upkeep at Cloutierville Elementary.
Other agenda items included:
Approve salary for new Senior Network Technician position
Award bid for Processed and Frozen Foods for July 1 – 12-31 (Child Nutrition Program)
Award bid for Milk and Milk Products for 2019-20 (Child Nutrition Program)
Award bid for Paper and Cleaning Supplies for July 1 – Dec. 31 (Child Nutrition Program)
Award bid for Parking Lot and Drives Reconstruction at Natchitoches Jr. High
Approve grant agreement with the Rapides Foundation for the renewal of the Healthy Behaviors Partnership Grant for the 2019-2020 school year over 12 months beginning July 1
Approve grant agreement with the Rapides Foundation for the renewal of the Youth Volunteers School District Grant for the 2019-2020 school year over 12 months beginning July 1
Approve grant agreement with the Rapides Foundation for the renewal of the 2019-2020 Effective Schools Initiative Grant in the amount of $142,000 over 12 months beginning July 1
My niece went to West Monroe High School, and she had to have a cell phone in class to do some of the assignments. Looking up stuff on internet, I guess. What happened to “No Child Left Behind” and a computer for every student? My kid’s online school (it’s tuition-free, paid for by the State of Louisiana) sent an Apple to use for assignments.
When I was going to school there was no air condition, teachers could discipline the students and if they had problems trust me the principal did. Students were rarely sent home (I can only remember one incident) and when a grown up spoke we JUMPED. Needless to say we did not have a cell phone.
The girls wore DRESSES to school. NO sundress was allowed, nor pajamas, shorts, etc.
I never heard of a parent criticize a teacher, principal or member of the school board. There was 101 students in our graduation class. HOW did we manage?
Discipline was taught in the home in those days. Unfortunately that is not the case now.
Well, if you’re busy working 2 or 3 jobs, who has the time or energy?
We had A/C but could wear pretty much anything as long as it covered our knees and didn’t show our midriffs. No boys wore earrings, no one had a weird hairdo. And absolutely no sagging britches!
No kids sent home, but teachers and principals sure did paddle, and they sent a note home about it. Then you got punished by your parents, and you didn’t dare try to hide that note. If a kid had problems in class, parents didn’t ask the teacher what she or he was doing wrong. Parents asked what they needed to do to get the child to straighten up.
I miss those days.
Leaving Natchitoches Parish Schools, going to LRSD in Arkansas and returning to Natchitoches Parish Schools showed me how much of a joke and how mismanaged Natchitoches Parish Schools are. The only thing Natchitoches has right is uniforms, but then they act ridiculous over the color of a jacket.
Skinner takes the blame for the calendar! You think? What a moron!
we should put micro chips in the kids like we do dogs to keep track of
them every minute.
LOL, I’ve been saying that for years. Did you see that movie “Face Off”? Remember the boots and magnetized floors? Just a few ideas for keeping kids from jumping out of their seats at the drop of a hat. Maybe I’m too strict. Comes from my years as a high school teacher and getting sick of kids doing anything they want without consequences at school or at home.
I think kids should be able to leave their phone in their locker or their cars. I would hate to think a child got off the bus and needed to call for help and didn’t have their phones. Kids are sometimes kidnapped from the bus stop and maybe a phone could help. I don’t think they need a phone from 8:00 a m until 3:00 p m. This is just my opinion and everyone has an opinion. I don’t have children in school so I quess it’s really none of my business
Exactly dtas quiet
What does dtas mean?
Sure it’s your business. When it comes to a child’s safety, it’s everyone’s business.
How about no cell phones on school grounds period no exceptions! If caught sent home for a couple days and parents must come to school to retrieve the phone? No means NO PHONES! why does something so simple have to be made so hard?
I like the idea that parents have to retrieve it. Of course, get ready for some grumbling…
there are some fine people on this board and not all are
enept as said earlier.These people give up their time and
effort to try to make things better.I think if anything is anyones fault
you need to look at Skinner and not board members.
Really? This board continues to renew Skinner’s contract! So, tell again how they are not inept .They have made a mess of the system and fool’s of themselves! NPSB is the laughing stock in the state .I was in the State Department of Education recently and was told that Natchitoches parish is the worst on the state.
Ok, I understand and support that cell phones and other devices have no place in the classroom but do not understanding how the school system has the right to hold personal property outside of school hours. The phones should be returned to the student after school and require the student to turn it back in the following day, until the punishment period has been met. If the student does not turn it back in and gets caught with the device, then the punishment gets elevated to the second offense. The school system is overstepping their authority with personal property.
How embarrassing! The School Board Handbook policy writers and approvers can’t proofread. I wonder what misspelling “instructional” in the line of actual policy means in terms of that policy’s enactment? Does a policy forbidding personal items “DURING THE INSRTUCTIONAL DAY” mean those personal items are not forbidden during the instructional day, given that there is no such thing as an “insrtuctional” day? And let’s not even mention the lack of subject-verb agreement in the definitional sentence that follows….
Given that the NPSB seems to spend most of its time and energy on punitive rather than educational efforts, I’d think they’d at least be sure their rules and regulations meet the basic writing standards of a 5th grade education.
LOL 🙂