CENTRAL HIGH MAY GET OUT OF SENIOR PICTURE BUSINESS

A proposed change in the way senior photographs are provided to the Central High School yearbook may stem a decade-long dispute and take the school out of the picture concerning senior portraits.

At the Cape Girardeau Board of Education meeting Monday, members will consider a proposal that would give high school seniors the opportunity to use the picture of their choice, within some guideline, in the yearbook.

"This takes us out of the senior picture business," said Superintendent Neyland Clark, explaining the proposal.

"The school photographer who takes pictures of underclassmen will also take the photos of seniors. If the students want to go to the photographer of their choice, they may substitute that photo for the one taken by the school photographer."

The only catch is that students must have their picture taken by the school photographer in order to have the opportunity to make a substitution.

"We still reserve the right to reject photos not in keeping with the general quality of the yearbook," Clark said. Guidelines for the photos have not be established.

Under the current policy the school awards a photography contract each year. Only photos by the photography contractor are used in the yearbook. The yearbook photo is taken and provided to the school at no charge to students.

Students may have their senior pictures made at any studio, but senior pictures taken by other photographers have not been used in the yearbook. Most recently, a contract was awarded to Olan Mills studio.

Dating back to 1984, local photographer Steve Robertson has led a charge for choice in senior yearbook photographers. He said he is pleased with the proposed change.

"I applaud them," Robertson said. "It's refreshing to me to see they are embracing that people in 1994 want choices -- they want choice in health care coverage and choice in photography.

"I'm not sure I agree with requiring kids to have their picture taken if they don't want to, but on the other hand maybe this is the best compromise."

At a June school board meeting in 1991, Robertson publicly criticized Central High School's policy of designating an official photographer for senior pictures in its yearbook. Robertson said at that meeting that his concerns had also been presented to the school board in a closed-door meeting in 1984.

In June 1993, the issue resurfaced when a new yearbook adviser, Rae Anne Kloss, was hired. The board directed administrators to look into the senior picture situation one more time, and if necessary make a recommendation to the board.

Clark said the committee reviewing the policy and making the proposal included himself, Kloss, high school principal Dan Milligan, director of secondary education James Englehart and attorney Joe Russell.