Randy Mitchell The Consequences For Students Who Disobey The Allen High School Cell Phone Policy Will Change For The Upcoming School Year And Could Include The Phones Being Confiscated. Junior High/high School Principal Steve Butcher Sp

The consequences for students who disobey the Allen High School cell phone policy will change for the upcoming school year and could include the phones being confiscated.

Junior High/High School Principal Steve Butcher spoke about the change to the handbook Thursday at the regular meeting of the Allen School Board.

Currently, the handbook reads, “Students will be allowed to have in their possession a personal cell phone before and after school, during lunch period, and between classes. Students will turn their cell phones over to their teacher each hour of class at the beginning of the period. They may be picked up at the end of each class period. Failure to do so, or misrepresenting the truth of their cell phone’s location, will result in a referral to the office for consequences.”

A new addition to the policy states “Failure to turn in electronic devices at the start of each class will result in: - First offense - Student will be required to turn their devices into the office before the start of the school day for five school days.

- Second offense - Student will be required to turn in their devices to the office for 10 consecutive school days.

- Third offense Student will turn in their device to the office for 45 consecutive school days.

- Fourth offense - Will result in the student being required for the remainder of school year or for a minimum of 90 days.

Other changes to the handbook include an addendum concerning unexcused absences.

The addendum reads, “Students who have five or more absences within a nine-week period that are not school related, will be ineligible to participate in cocurricular activities until they make up their absences by attending Saturday school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Attendance at Saturday school for the entire six hours will reduce their absences by one day. Students will be restored to eligibility on Monday morning at 8 a.m. following the Saturday school that reduces their absences to under five.” A d d i t i o n a l l y , homework will now be called assignments.

“If a student fails to turn in a completed assignment given by a teacher within three days of the due date, the assignment the student will be subject to the following: A conference will be held with the student, the student’s parent, the teacher and the principal. A solution to the problem will be arrived at by the participants of the academic meeting.”

Butcher also spoke about the new hires at the school, and said they’ve proven to be really good employees.

“I’m feeling real positive about the new staff, and the old staffers as well,” Butcher said. “You’d think during the summer, you’d get a bunch of phone calls, people unhappy about something, but I’ve talked to two or three staff members -- I initiated the calls and everybody is fine, as far as I know.”

Amy Mayhue

Also, during the meeting, Elementary School Principal Amy Mayhue spoke about the handbook for the Elementary School, and said there were no changes, but something did need to be highlighted.

“The only thing that we do plan on doing is highlighting the prescription medication section at the elementary, kind of lines out exactly how we administer prescription medication,” Mayhue said. “It’s very important, but it’s cumbersome at times to make sure that all of our documents line up. So, I am basically taking that out of the handbook and making it a little simpler. It’s for parents to sign. It states that they understand the guidelines of what we expect. Like making sure that the doctor’s signature and the bottle match, and all the dosages match so that (the person who administers the medicine) is feeling very confident in what she’s giving that child. So, I’m asking the parent to sign that at the beginning of the school year, just to make sure they understand.”

Mayhue indicated that there have been a few instances where something was out of the ordinary, such as a parent sending with a child medication that was in a plastic baggie.

“Of course, it was up the sidewalk to Robin’s office, but still, I don’t like that,” Mayhue said. “There are certain things with the legal things that are going on for Ada City Schools lately over this, I don’t want to get involved in that. So, I’m just kind of stepping up that a little bit. I had my ladies that administer medicine take extra training on how to administer medication and then I am going to follow up with making sure parents sign something that says I will do this, this, this and this to have the medicine dispensed at school.”

Mayhue may have been referring to an alleged incident at Ada City Schools that led to the filing of a lawsuit against that school system in September 2023.

In court documents, parents of a student at Ada alleged that a school health aide gave their child medication daily that was meant for emergencies only. The parents indicated that their child had suffered severe effects due to the alleged negligence.

The petition indicated that the child is a special needs student who attended Hayes Grade Center. As a result of the child’s condition, the child must be “administered certain medications daily, and certain ones on an emergency rescue basis only.”

Consent Agenda

The board approved the consent agenda, which included the minutes of the June 10, 2024, and June 27, 2024, regular meetings and June 27, 2024, special meeting; fiscal year 2024-2025 Purchase Orders/ Encumbrances: General Fund numbers 102 through 129 ($23,081.58); Building Fund numbers 22 and 23 – ($31,518); Sinking Fund number 1 ($458,600); Treasurer’s Report; Activity Fund Report; Oklahoma State Minimum and Allen Salary Schedule for Teachers for fiscal year 2025; Allen Support Staff Salary Schedules for fiscal year 2025; Teaching assignments and class schedules for fiscal year 2025; Committee Lists for fiscal year 2025; New OSSBA Policies (CHD, CHD-R, DHAC, EFEA, EIEC, EIED, FDA, FDC-R1, FEH); 20242025 Travel Requests numbers two through nine – Coaches Clinic, Career Tech Summer Conference.

Action Items

The board approved action items, which included: - The renewal of the Sublease Agreement dated Dec. 1, 2017, between the District and Pontotoc County Educational Facilities Authority for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, as required under the provisions of the agreements.

- The elementary and JH/HS handbooks for fiscal year 2025.

- The following adjunct teachers for fiscal year 2025: Shalee Brantley “6th Grade Mathematics, 7th Grade Mathematics & Math of Finance for HS Credit”; Luke Ring “Physical Science and Environmental Science.”

- The sanctioning outside booster clubs for fiscal year 2025, including Football Boosters, Basketball Boosters, Baseball Boosters, Cheer Boosters, Softball Boosters, Ag Boosters and Native American Club Boosters.

Executive Session Upon returning from executive session, the board voted to approve contracts of employees more than 11 months, and the extra duty assignments and pay.