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.