LEES CREEK — Officials expect the traffic situation for Sabina Elementary at dismissal time to be safer once a sidewalk is built connecting the school to a new parking lot of a newly constructed church.
Church leaders have granted access to use their parking lot, said East Clinton Local Schools Superintendent Eric Magee at Tuesday’s board of education meeting.
“We’re hoping to get in the sidewalk before bad weather hits so we’re able to use that parking lot to help with dismissal time,” Magee said.
The plan is to have those parents who arrive in vehicles to pick up their children to go to the church parking lot to get their children, rather than for them to go to the school parking lot where the buses will continue to load up in front of the school.
The new procedure will provide some separation in what currently is a congested situation where school buses and parents’ vehicles are all in one parking lot when the closing bell sounds.
The Sabina Church of Christ’s new facility is expected to soon have a grand opening. The church facility is behind the school building.
“We’ll be a thousand times safer for our kids at that dismissal time,” said the superintendent.
Sabina Elementary School Principal Jennie Pierson said the school has approximately 50 to 60 sets of parents who pick up their child or children in a car.
“It will help a lot I think,” said Pierson.
Magee and other EC educators who attended a recent poverty simulation exercise in Highland County felt the experience was eye-opening. As a result, there are plans to form a committee to keep the school district thinking about how families in the district can be supported to overcome poverty-related obstacles.
One thing the committee is expected to consider is bringing the simulation exercise to the district for all staff to participate in and get “a little glimpse” of the day-to-day challenges posed by poverty upon families and the children as students, according to Magee.
“I think having some conversations to be able to support our families will lead to some good things,” said Magee. Those discussions, he said, could go a thousand different directions.
East Clinton Treasurer John Stanley gave his semi-annual five-year financial forecast at the meeting. He said presently things overall are to the positive.
“But I have concerns moving forward based on current revenue streams we have, and each year obviously expenses continue to increase,” the treasurer stated.
In board action:
• An East Clinton fishing team was added to be eligible to compete at a high school fishing tournament at Caesar’s Creek Lake on Saturday, Oct. 28. Douglas Stehlin is the volunteer fishing team coach.
• The board approved the high school art club and the high school book club as student activity clubs. Kathryn Kasberg is the volunteer high school art club advisor for 2017-18, and Pamela Earley is the volunteer high school book club advisor for 2017-18.
• Board members approved an East Clinton softball team trip to Rowan County in Kentucky to play in a three-way doubleheader on March 24, 2018.
Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.
