School board debates eligibility requirements
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The Ronan school board had a tough time deciding if the current eligibility policy for students participating in after-school activities should be changed. The board asked for Ronan High School principal Tom Stack to gather updated statuses of policies of other schools and report back in the coming week.
The topic was discussed heavily during the last meeting of the Ronan School board.
Current policy states that students must pass five of seven, four of six, four of five, or four of four classes to be remain eligible. Some board members thought it was too strict, while others thought the policy needed to be left alone.
School board trustee Mark Clary commented that the topic has been thoroughly discussed in the past.
“We go over this every year,” Clary said. “In my opinion it’s been working fine.”
Fellow trustee Tom Anderson said the bar should be held higher for students seeking the privilege of participating in after-school activities.
“Students will rise to the occasion if we raise our standards,” Anderson said. “Are we challenging our students to achieve more with the current policy?”
Vice chair of the board Carmel Couture commented that sports can be a motivator for kids to stay in school. She added that it’s not uncommon for students to drop out if they are kicked off a sports team or denied participation in other functions.
“To be honest, I’d like to have no failing grades,” Couture said. “But realistically, some kids struggle, and I’d rather keep them in school than on the streets.”
“If we lose one kid that’s one too many,” Ronan High School principal Tom Stack said.
As the debate went on, superintendent Andy Holmlund questioned Stack on how many kids have trouble keeping passing grades.
“We always have kids on the edge,” Stack said. “But by keeping kids involved, we are giving them an opportunity to connect with a teacher… those are the kids that stay in school.”
According to Stack, the graduation rate has improved over the past six years from 65 to approximately 74 percent.
“It’s gone up, but it’s not as high as it should be,” he said.
In the past, Stack has checked other Montana High School Association schools to find that Ronan High School’s policy runs average compared to others. The board asked Stack to check other schools' policies around the area and to report back the following week.
“Out of 22 schools, two or three allow one failing grade, or none at all,” Stack said.
Even though Stack has checked other schools’ policies in the past, the council asked that he check the current status of other schools and report in the coming week.
In other business, the board approved personnel and extra-curricular hires for the upcoming school year. An out-of-state, overnight field trip to Yellowstone National Park for the 8th grade class was also approved.
The next school board meeting is scheduled for May 9 at the Ronan High School library.
