What

Fayette school officials want from school staff,

parents and visitors to schools is simple, said

Board of Education Chairman Debbie Condon: a

little respect.

The

board discussed a policy intended to maintain

civil behavior on school grounds during a called

session. "The policy simply says we want

people to be respectful on our property,"

said Condon.

School

superintendent Dr. John DeCotis added," We

haven't had a problem with this in our schools,

but it's difficult in a high stress society for

people to remain calm and cool." He added

that school principals know how to handle

volatile situations. "This puts it into a

policy," DeCotis said.

The

proposed policy, which will be under review for

30 days, states:

"Members

of the Fayette County School District staff

should treat parents and other members of the

public with respect, and expect the same in

return. The district is committed to keeping

schools and administrative offices free from

disruptions, and to preventing unauthorized

persons from entering school or district grounds.

"Accordingly,

employees are expected to follow practices which

promote mutual respect, civility and orderly

conduct among district employees, parents and the

public in an effort to maintain a safe,

harassment-free workplace for our students and

staff. It is not intended to deprive any person

of his or her rights to freedom of expression. In

the interest of presenting teachers, other

employees, parents and other adults as positive

role models, the school system encourages

positive communication and discourages volatile,

hostile or aggressive actions."

In

other business, the board called a proposal by

the Panther Athletic Booster Club to raise

$150,000 to fund concrete bleachers at the

Starr's Mill High School stadium under

construction a "win-win situation."

Total cost of replacing the aluminum bleachers

with concrete is $300,000, but according to Jimmy

McCullough, booster club president, $150,000 has

been pledged by the Fayette Community Foundation,

a group of anonymous donors.

"There

will be no incremental costs to the Board of

Education," he said. The boosters agreed to

make up the difference in cost between the

aluminum and concrete when it was learned that

Leslie Contracting Inc. was having difficulty

securing aluminum due to a worldwide shortage.

Leslie has issued the PABC a two-year,

interest-free note on the $150,000 and McCullough

is confident his organization can muster the

money. Their current budget is in excess of

$100,000 and their fund-raising projects have

full support of the PABC and the Starr's Mill

Band Boosters.

Completion

of the stadium is likely to be in February 2000.

The uncertainty of obtaining the aluminum could

have delayed the project even further.

The

board also hired John Thompson as the school's

director of transportation, replacing Bill

Bonnett, who moved to a position at the state

level. Thompson has been Troup County School

Systems's transportation director since 1996.

Hired

as the school district's purchasing agent was

Fred Phillips, a former Peachtree City resident,

employed for the last two years by Honeywell in

Phoenix, Ariz.

Cheryl

Hilderbrand, a reading and language arts

consultant with the Griffin Regional Educational

Services Agency, has been hired as the school

district's reading coordinator.

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