TEACHER GROUPS TO EXPRESS CONCERN OVER POLICY AT BOARD MEETING

Cape Girardeau teachers groups plan to express concern during Monday's Board of Education meeting about a decision to change Central High's graduation ceremony.

The board meets Monday at 5 p.m. at the Board of Education conference room, 61 N. Clark. The meeting is open to the public.

Jo Peukert, president of the Community Teachers Association, said Saturday she has been directed by members of her organization to read a statement at Monday's meeting.

Peukert said the CTA has drafted "a formal statement of concern regarding the making of board decisions and policies that affect students, teachers and administrators.

"We want to express our concern that they follow the policy they have on making policy," Peukert said. "I think that if they had followed the policy, it would have eliminated this problem."

Peukert said the CTA general membership met Wednesday for a regularly scheduled meeting.

"The high school teachers had called and had some concerns about this issue and the public eye is on graduation," Peukert said.

"Not that we're not people with some compassion, but we make rules and then for some reason the rules change at the last minute."

Teacher Sheryl Dunavan said a statement from a number of high school teachers has been written to be read at Monday's board meeting.

"It arose out of a regular end-of-year faculty meeting because many of the faculty members felt the issue needed to be addressed."

She said the statement basically asked that before any official decisions are made to change commencement in the future, a committee including parents, students, teachers, administrators and board members be consulted.

Board President Ed Thompson said he too expects the issue, while not on the formal agenda, to be discussed Monday.

"Definitely there will be some discussion about the policy at some time," he said.

Thompson has been surprised by the negative reaction to the decision to let seniors who hadn't completed graduation requirements, but were within one unit, participate in the ceremony.

On Saturday, Thompson said, "I got questions this morning about why did I let this go on so long. I didn't know about this thing until two weeks ago.

"How can something done for the right reasons end up being such a disaster. It doesn't make any sense," Thompson said. "I'm so confused over this thing now."

Thompson said he did not know about any meetings between Superintendent Neyland Clark and high school principal Dan Milligan prior to two weeks ago.

In a news story Saturday, Milligan outlined several instances where he believed Clark asked for preferential treatment for one senior. Clark denies asking for any favors.

"It's just his (Clark's) word against Milligan's," Thompson said. "He (Clark) has always been straight with me. I don't have any reason to doubt his word now."

Thompson said he believes allowing students a credit short to participate in the ceremony is the right decision. But in hindsight, he questioned the timing.

"I thought it was a Christian decision, and as far as helping kids, I still stand behind it," Thompson said.

"I would never do anything to injure this school district," Thompson said. "Not just the district, but the kids involved.

"I'm not big on pomp and circumstance and ceremony. The ceremonial stuff has never been a big thing to me. It's never been something I put a lot of emphasis on.

"Looking back now, more people put importance on the ceremony than I realized."

He added, "I've been straight with everyone all along. There's no reason for me to change now."

Thompson said he became involved after a phone call from the student's parents asking for help.

Regarding a meeting between Thompson, Clark, Milligan and Englehart on May 31, Thompson said, "That meeting was the third day I knew about this."

Thompson said after that meeting, he considered the issue dead.

"I went in to Clark and said they (Milligan and Englehart) are unwavering on this. It's over. We were both prepared to let it go," Thompson said.

"Then another board member (Kathy Swan) heard about it. At the time she heard about it, no names were mentioned. She heard the story and she said `That's not right.'

"I think I asked her to call the board members and said I would check with some teachers and some students," Thompson explained.

"Then someone said the kid's name. I noticed she was shaken up about it. I didn't know her daughter went out with him, but she had already made the commitment to look into this before names were involved," Thompson said.

"All the people I talked to said it was kind of a foolish rule, but they all said it was terrible timing. I agreed, but didn't think it would hurt anyone and it might help a few kids.

"Other board members said if we were going to look at it eventually, if we were going to make a policy a month down the road, why not do it now so it could help some kids," said Thompson.

Also on the agenda Monday is the issue of changing elementary attendance areas for the district.

Thompson said board members Steve Wright and Bob Fox are chairing a committee that will look into making changes. The committee is to include community members.

"Out of this will come two plans," Thompson said. "One will be changing attendance areas if we build a new elementary school and the other will be changing the attendance areas if we remain as we are with six existing elementary schools. I think the target date on a decision is October."