Grant to fund new program

The Jay School Board approved a grant-funded program Monday that will broaden special education services at Jay County High School and both middle schools.

The LEA Capacity Building Grant, awarded by the Department of Education, will fund a pilot program that will contract with Lifelines, a Fort Wayne-based company, to work once a week with specific students to help with behaviors that cause students to be truant, miss class and get suspended or expelled.

The program is called Adolescent Responsible Thinking, and costs roughly $14,000 per year which will be funded by the grant, which was written by Jay Schools special education director Jo Willer.

A facilitator from Lifelines will come to classes during weekly homeroom time for students at the middle schools and during activity period for JCHS students.

The corporation intends to offer the following courses for the students: Emotional decision making, respecting authority, passive aggression, excuses vs. lying, self image, manipulation, lack of effort, goal setting, conflict resolution, peer pressure, anti-drugs, responsible sexual choices and abuse.

Parents will be involved in the program whenever possible, and the students’ performance will be tracked by tests they take prior to and following the program. In addition, the students’ behavior, performance in ISTEP-plus and attendance will be reviewed.

The board also discussed its mission statement briefly toward the conclusion of the meeting. Board member Doug Inman had suggested the board review the mission statement and possibly change some of its wording.

Currently, the board’s mission statement reads, “The mission of the Jay School Corporation, in partnership with our families and the community, is to teach each student to think, reason, and communicate well, to make positive contributions to our community, and to make ethical choices in an information-based, democratic society.”

“To me, we’re missing some things in this mission,” Inman said, suggesting that the statement should include something about “daily interaction and daily education.”

Board president Duane Starr suggested that Inman write another draft of the mission statement and present it an a future board meeting. Inman indicated this morning will have a new draft of the mission statement prepared for the next board meeting, although he will be in Baltimore, Md. and unable to attend the Oct. 27 meeting. Inman said he will leave the mission statement draft with Jay Schools Supt. Barbara Downing prior to his business trip, and she will decide when to present it to the board.

In other business Monday, the board:

•Unanimously approved the following appointments: Jesse Bivens, East Elementary girls basketball coach; Claudia May, half-time yearbook sponsor, East Elementary; Dora Houck, Just Say No Club Sponsor, General Shanks Elementary; Cindy Rudrow, yearbook sponsor, General Shanks; Kristy Blalock, student council sponsor, General Shanks; Sherry Roberts, student council, Judge Haynes Elementary; Flint Redwine, Judge Haynes girls basketball coach; Dennis Porter, half-time Honor Society sponsor, WJMS; Lori Sims, yearbook sponsor and pep club sponsor, EJMS; Phil Bentz, volunteer football coach, EJMS; Daniel Ninde, volunteer football coach, EJMS.

•Approved the Indiana Cooperative Library Services appointment of Cathi Godfrey, to a three-year team, effective until June 30, 2006.

•Granted the field trip requests of: JCHS Choirs, to Chicago, Ill. from April 16-18, 2004, or May 7-9, 2004, to see a Broadway show.

•Approved by a 6-1 vote, with Ted Champ dissenting, a board policy resolution that approves all newly adopted school corporation policies to replace the prior policies. The old policies are now rescinded.[[In-content Ad]]