By Jeremy Handel, Staff Writer
Homecoming, football tickets, increased Wi-Fi access points, and a return to five-day, in-school classes were all discussed at the September Spartanburg School District 4 Board of Trustees meeting.
Woodruff High School Principal Dr. Aaron Fulmer was excited to share with the board that the school has finalized plans to move forward with homecoming festivities, including crowning this year’s queen, on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at W.L. Varner Stadium. This year’s festivities will include the traditional parade, which will start at 6 p.m., and the coronation ceremony, complete with fathers escorting their daughters onto the field prior to the announcement of the 2020 queen and maid of honor.
Dr. Fulmer also provided an update on ticket availability for this season’s home football games. Based on state regulations due to COVID-19 restrictions, the school will be limited to just under 700 fans in attendance for games at the stadium. Tickets will first be made available to accommodate the band, cheerleaders, player’s family members (up to four per player) and visiting team’s players’ families. He does not anticipate having remaining tickets available to be sold to the public for most games.
Woodruff Middle School Principal Scott Lawson reported to the board that the Cubs football and volleyball teams would be moving their home games to the high school facilities to accommodate more fans.
Superintendent Dr. W. Rallie Liston provided the board with an update on the district’s plan to return to a five-day, in-school schedule for primary and elementary students on Sept. 28 and Oct. 19 respectively.
District 4 was awarded a grant from Hewlett Packard Enterprise of $22,379 for the addition of six new outdoor internet access points to provide after-school access for students. Jennifer Turner, director of testing and accountability, said the grant allowed the school to add four access points in the high school parking lot and two in the middle school parking lot. The access points have been installed and are awaiting configuration. They are expected to be available for use soon. The grant covered the cost of the hardware and the school district paid for the installation.
The board’s only voting matter for the evening was to hear a second reading and approve recommended revisions to the board’s policies on sexual harassment for staff and students, staff conduct with students, and distance, online, and virtual education. The revisions passed unanimously.
The September school board meeting was held on Monday, Sept. 14. The next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 5.
