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TORONTO -- A change to the student handbook involving their hair and pants and a continuation of free meals for students were among matters before the Toronto school board on Thursday.
By a vote of 4 to 1, the board accepted a new policy allowing students to dye their hair various colors and permitting them to wear blue jeans with holes provided they are below the knee only.
Voting in favor were Board President Julie Ault and board members Jay Foster, J.J. Liddick and Andy Reeves, while board member Randy Henry cast the lone vote against.
Betsy Jones, principal of Toronto Junior-Senior High School, said enforcing the policy for dyed hair became a challenge.
Jones noted while some colors were clearly violations, students with hair of various shades of red could argue theirs was acceptable.
She added some students have had theirs stripped, which is not uncommon for adults but also not natural, so the issue became very subjective.
Superintendent Maureen Taggart said such rules are intended to prevent distractions to classroom instruction.
She said where unusual hair coloring is concerned, "Our kids are used to seeing it. I don't think it's a distraction to them."
Henry said he voted against the changes because he saw them as detractors to an overall positive appearance among Toronto students. A former member of the Jefferson County Vocational School board, he said he often heard positive comments about the professional demeanor of the Toronto students there.
Foster said the changes reflect changing times, adding it can be difficult to find jeans without holes in some stores.
While supporting the changes, Ault said the board also can hope varying hues of hair is a passing phase.
While the school district's policy for hair and jeans may have loosened, it still prohibits tank tops and mesh or see-through tops unless worn over a blouse or other shirt, bare midriffs and exposed underwear.
There also are rules regarding the lengths of shorts, skirts and dresses; and hats, hoods and other headwear; and other clothing and jewelry.
In other business, the board approved prices for school lunches and breakfasts for the new school year.
But Taggart said the move was a formality because she will use pandemic relief funds issued to the school district to continue to provide free meals for all students.
She said federal funds awarded to the state through the U.S. Department of Agriculture were used to provide the food at no cost to students over the last two years, but the state didn't apply for that money this year.
Taggart said parents and guardians of children who may be eligible for free or reduced price meals because of low income still are encouraged to apply because the school district can receive reimbursement through the federal government for those meals.
Having some of the meals reimbursed this year may allow the district to continue to provide fee meals next year, she said.
The board also:
— Approved the hiring of Lori Rawson as assistant principal at Toronto Elementary School. Rawson comes to the school district with 22 years of experience at Steubenville City Schools, where she oversaw the reading program at Harding Middle School among other tasks.
The board earlier agreed to add an assistant principal position at the elementary school, citing the enrollment there.
— Approved the hiring of Michael McCarthy as the high school's new band director. McCarthy is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music education and served as a graduate associate for various ensembles there.
Taggart said McCarthy comes to Toronto from Centerville, Ohio, where he taught music at an elementary school and middle school, establishing a marching band at the latter.
She expressed thanks to Kirk George, Toronto High School's band director for 31 years, who came out of retirement after several years to oversee the band during its summer practice and camp.
"Mr. George hasn't missed a beat. He just hit the ground running," said Taggart, who noted George assisted in interviewing three applicants for the job and has agreed to assist the new director to ensure a smooth transition.
Taggart said Rawson and McCarthy are among 16 new employees who will join the district's staff this year.
She said as the new school year approaches, there are just two grant-funded intervention specialist positions to fill.
But she added the school system can always use more substitute personnel, particularly teachers and bus drivers.
Taggart noted the board is no longer required to employ four-year college graduates as substitute teachers and may hire applicants who attained a two-year degree or a qualifying score on an assessment established by the state Department of Education.
She said the policy was approved by the state during the pandemic, when a shortage of substitutes occurred, and was made a permanent option by the state legislature in June.
— Approved the $6,769 addition of tinted window film in two pre-school classrooms at the Karaffa Recreation Center, for security purposes, by Clearview Tinting.
— Approved the $6,836 purchase of laptop computers for the district's preschool teachers and the $44,113 purchase of 30 notebook computers for its media arts program.
— Approved a $1,520 contract with the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center to provide audiology services to students and a $76,003 agreement with the Jefferson County ESC to provide a school psychologist for the schools two days each week.
— Announced its next meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Aug. 25, one week later than usual because the new school year will start the week before and the Red Knights football teams' first game of the season will be played on Aug. 18.