DCHS Prom Attendance Policy Will Remain As Is This Year (View Video Here)

March 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

No change in policy!

The DeKalb County Board of Education Thursday night declined to amend a policy to allow students from other high schools in good standing to attend the DCHS prom. During the regular monthly meeting, third district member Jim Beshearse moved to make the change, but his motion failed on a vote of 3-3-1. Four votes were needed for passage.

In addition to Beshearse, board members Jason Miller and Eric Ervin voted for the change in policy, but members Alan Hayes, Jamie Cripps, and Chairman Shaun Tubbs voted against it while board member Danny Parkerson passed without casting a yes or no vote.

As in the past, this year’s prom will only be for DCHS juniors and seniors, but they can invite freshmen and sophomores from within the school. The location for the prom will be off campus at the Capitol Theater in Lebanon next month as approved by the school board.

For years the DeKalb County High School Prom has been open only to DCHS students in good standing. This year members of the student body wanted the policy changed to allow invited students from other high schools in good standing to also attend the DCHS Prom along with recent DCHS graduates up to the age of 20.

During a workshop session prior to the regular monthly meeting in February, DCHS Senior Morgan Walker addressed the Board of Education to make the formal request on behalf of the student body. The meeting room was filled with other high school students and parents in support of the proposed policy change.

In the regular monthly meeting following the workshop last month, the Board members voted to table action on the request until they had more time to study the issue.

During Thursday night’s meeting (March 9), the board voted to take the issue off the table in order to make a final decision.

In making his motion, Beshearse said he could see allowing students in good standing from other schools to attend the DCHS prom but not anyone who has already graduated up to the age of 20.

“I remember Mr. (Bruce) Curtis and Ms (Jenny) Norris both saying (last month) it was pretty simple to get a little background check on them (students at other high schools) from administrators at those schools. I also spoke with Scott Bennett, the DeKalb County School System’s lawyer and he said to get a waiver signed from the other schools and that pretty much releases us from any liability so I would like to make a motion to allow DCHS students to invite a student from another school in good standing at that school to attend the DCHS prom this year and if that student from another school were to act up or get out of line to let the administrators from that school know about it and to have them address it in the same way our administrators would handle our students. I am only saying high school students (in this motion). I think when you are out of high school your prom days are done,” said Beshearse.

Again, the motion failed on a vote of 3-3-1. Four votes were needed for passage.

After the meeting, concerned parent Donna Paris asked the board why it failed to change the policy. Board member Jamie Cripps said she had talked to several people about it and many of them were for keeping the policy the way it is. “Most of the people I had talked to were chaperones and people who work at the school, and they did not want to chaperone if there were students there from other schools,” said Ms. Cripps.

“It’s school to school. Its not like they are asking for a whole lot. Its sad,” said Paris

In his monthly personnel report, Director Patrick Cripps announced that employee Callie Betancourt has been granted a leave of absence as requested.

At the beginning of the meeting, Director Cripps called for a moment of silence in memory of former school system teachers and employees who have recently passed away including Pauline Frazier, former custodian at DeKalb West School, Paulette McDonald, former Educational Assistant, Bobbye Jean Page, Thomas, retired teacher who taught at a primary school many years ago, and Michael Campbell, who was not a school employee, but a parent and strong supporter of the DCHS band program affectionately known as a “Band Dad”. He drove the pit bus and motored equipment onto the field during band performances and competitions.

March 9, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

Construction may begin soon on the replacement of a small bridge with a hole in it on Dry Creek Road over Fall Creek just off of West Broad Street.

During Monday night’s regular monthly meeting, the aldermen awarded a bid for the replacement of the bridge. Most of the funds for the project will come from the city’s share of American Rescue Plan Act money but State Representative Michael Hale has requested some state funding to help pay for it. Twin K. Construction of Helenwood, Tennessee was the only bidder and the aldermen accepted their bid of $630,605. In addition to the construction bid, other added costs including engineering have been or will be incurred that will possibly put the total project at more than $700,000.

“Our appropriations filing deadline is Monday and among the bills I have filed is a request for $250,000 from the state to help the city with that bridge not only to benefit the city but because this is the closest access route to our state highway garage which is on Dry Creek Road,” said Representative Hale.

Although it remains partially open to traffic, the bridge has a hole through it that city officials discovered last summer. The Mayor and Aldermen subsequently voted to have an engineer develop plans and specifications for eventual bid letting for a new bridge. A bid opening was held last Tuesday morning.

When construction begins this spring, the street at the site of construction will have to be closed until the project is completed.

In other business, the aldermen adopted on second and final reading an ordinance to rezone the Carol Buchanan property from R-1 residential to C-1 commercial located at State Route 56 and Jennings Lane near the Smithville Church of the Nazarene. First reading action was taken last month upon the recommendation of the Smithville Planning Commission.

The aldermen also adopted on first reading an ordinance concerning septic tank effluent pumps (STEP).

Last month, Daniel Tribble, Manager of Field Services for JR Wauford and Company of Nashville recommended that the city adopt an ordinance or resolution to prohibit future installation of STEPs by private developers based on a new state law which requires municipalities to maintain them. JR Wauford is the city’s engineering consultant.

The proposed ordinance, as adopted on first reading, states as follows:

“Whereas the City owns and operates an existing gravity wastewater collection system; and
Whereas, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation passed updated Rules in May 2022 that state the following in Chapter 0400-40-06 “State Operating Permits”- Low pressure pumps, low pressure tanks, septic tank effluent pumps (STEP), STEP tanks, and septic tank effluent gravity (STEG) tanks are integral to the treatment and conveyance of sewage in a low-pressure system, and shall be owned or under control of the municipality, other body of government, public utility district, or a privately owned public utility demonstrating lawful jurisdiction over the service area; and

Whereas the City desires to continue the use of a gravity sewer collection system consisting of gravity sewers which discharge to existing components of the City’s collection system or to a central sewage pumping station when topography requires. The city desires to control the implementation of low-pressure sewer systems due to the additional maintenance required by the city to maintain grinder pumps. The city wishes to prohibit the implementation of STEP and STEG systems that connect to the wastewater collection system since these type systems require additional maintenance and discharge lower strength sewage which could inhibit proper operation of the City’s wastewater treatment plant.

Now, Therefore Be It Resolved, that:

1. The City may allow the connection of low-pressure sewer pumps in the following situations:

a. When a single lot cannot be served by gravity sewers,

b. When the topography of a proposed development would require numerous central sewage pumping stations which would require more maintenance than low pressure sewers,

c. When the City’s Administrator deems low pressure sewers acceptable.

2. The City will not allow STEP and STEG systems to be connected to the City’s wastewater collection system.”

March 8, 2023
By: Dwayne Page

The next term of the DeKalb County Grand Jury will meet on Monday, April 3.

“It is the duty of your grand jurors to investigate any public offense which they know or have reason to believe has been committed and which is triable or indictable in the county. Any person having knowledge or proof that an offense has been committed may apply to testify before the grand jury subject to the provisions of Tennessee Code Annotated 40-12-105. The foreman in this county is presently Ms. Katherine Pack, 1 Public Square, Room 201, Smithville, Tennessee, 37166.” said DeKalb Circuit Court Clerk Susan Martin.

“The grand jury will next meet on Monday, the 3rd day of April, 2023, at 8:30 a.m.. You may be prosecuted for perjury for any oral or written statement which you make under oath to the grand jury, when you know the statement to be false, and when the statement touches on a matter material to the point in question,” she said.

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