Published: August 26, 2008 12:54 pm            

Proof of illness to be required

When a student comes to the school office in the middle of the day claiming to be sick, Assistant High School Principal Jason Fox sometimes wonders if the student is really ill, especially when he knows the student has a test that afternoon.

“I’ve had students who told me they do that,” Fox said during Monday’s Unit 40 School Board meeting.

Because of the current policy, he has no choice but to let that student call his or her parent. If the parent agrees, the child can go home.

“It is my opinion that our current method is allowing students to leave school when they are not actually sick,” Fox wrote to Superintendent Dan Clasby in his request to change existing policy.

That’s why he asked the board for permission to change the high school’s policy and implement one similar to that currently used by Central School and Effingham Junior High School.

“When a child comes to the office at either of these locations, he or she must either have a temperature, have gotten sick or appear to be ill before a parent is phoned,” Fox wrote.

He also said the policy should save time for parents, reducing the number of unfounded phone calls they receive.

The board agreed the change made sense and approved the request, which will go into effect immediately for the 2008-09 school year.

In another matter, the board reviewed plans for work on the Effingham High School cafetorium, including installing new lights and handrails in the seating area in front of the stage area. The board has previously discussed the need to redo the stairs in the seating area to make it safer.

The board accepted a bid of $99,154 from Johannes Construction to complete the work, which Clasby said should be completed by December.

Meanwhile, the district has stopped leasing the stage to outside groups, though it will be used for the high school’s fall performance. Clasby also said the district must send letters to people who have fallen in the stage area within the last year so they have a chance to take pictures or document the way the stairs are now for any pending legal action.

In other business, the board:

• Learned from Business Director Dean Keller that fund balances decreased .41 percent from last year and interest in the Education Fund is down 48.81 percent from last year.

• Accepted a bid of $17,772 from Jostens for printing the high school yearbook.

• Approved the following fund-raisers: EHS Football Moms purse party from 3-6 p.m. on Sept. 3 at the Hearts Rock Cafe, an East Side Preschool rummage sale on March 21 and several paper drives at East Side during the 2008-09 school year.

• Scheduled a special meeting for Monday, Sept. 15, at 6 p.m.

• Rescheduled the regular September meeting to Monday, Sept. 29.

Angie Faller can be reached at 217-347-7151 ext. 131 or angie.faller@

effinghamdailynews.com.