South Central Board Approves Free Breakfasts and Lunches

South Central School Superintendent Kerry Herdes says the district will continue to qualify to give students at all grade levels free breakfast and lunch for the next four school years.

He reports the district qualified by having more than 40 percent of the students either at the poverty level or in what the federal government considers a homeless situation.

“We have a lot of students that are doubled up with family or being raised by grandma and grandpa and also are homeless because they are not in their own home. We’ve seen an increase in that and those numbers factor heavily into the percentage numbers overall.”

Herdes says the actual qualifying numbers in each building are 50 percent at the grade school, 46 percent at the middle school, and 45 percent at the high school. He feels the free meals will also help other families in the district as well by lowering their food costs.

The board approved an average $20 increase in student registration and lab fees for the coming school year. Herdes says those at the poverty level or in the homeless category will have those fees waived.

The board made a change in the student handbooks to reduce the number of days a student can be absent without a doctor’s note from six to four per semester. Students will have to be in school all day to qualify to participate in a sports practice or game that day. Herdes notes there is no limit on days that can be missed with a doctor’s excuse.

In personnel action, the board accepted a letter of retirement from Alan Linder effective September 8th, 2024.

A number of extra-curricular and coaching assignments were approved.

• Alex Phillips as head high school and head middle school softball coach
• Kendall Burleyson as assistant high school volleyball coach
• Jeremy Dodson as middle school assistant baseball coach
• Justin Dodson as middle school volunteer assistant baseball coach
• Spencer Johannes as volunteer assistant high school baseball coach and volunteer assistant high school boys basketball coach
• Kevin Barry as assistant high school baseball coach
• Logan Lotz as assistant high school boys basketball coach
• Ean Fox as 5th/6th-grade basketball coach and assistant middle school basketball coach
• Aimee Moore as middle school pep club sponsor
• Danielle Chasteen as high school pep club sponsor
• Amanda Guerretaz as high school assistant girls’ basketball coach
• Hali Brown as assistant middle school girls’ basketball coach
• Emily Piper as assistant high school scholar bowl coach
• Sarah Beth Williams as color guard sponsor
• Trevor Markley as assistant 5th and 6th-grade school basketball sponsor