Other business
• Lanier Technical College signed a dual enrollment agreement with the Hall system at the Monday board of education meeting. This agreement extends a partnership with the school system, allowing for high school students to take college-level courses and earn credit at Lanier Tech.
• The Hall board of education approved a list of 14 people to comprise a committee to review the district’s social studies curriculum. The committee, made up of legislators, school officials, parents and citizens, is tasked with bringing recommendations back to the board. Schofield had previously indicated he anticipates these recommendations to be in to the board by the end of 2013.
• The following 2013-14 graduation dates were announced: May 22 will be Chestatee High (2 p.m.) and East Hall High (8 p.m.); May 23 will be Flowery Branch High (2 p.m.) and West Hall High (8 p.m.); May 24 will be Johnson High (11 a.m.) and North Hall High (7 p.m.); and May 27 will be Lanier Career Academy (7 p.m.). All graduations will be at Free Chapel, except Lanier Career Academy will have its graduation at Brenau University’s Pearce Auditorium.
Carly Sharec
The Hall County Board of Education considered options for allowing the Hall County Sheriff’s Office to use a school site for a South Hall precinct.
The topic came up at the Monday meeting of the board.
“What the sheriff would really like to do is have a precinct at the southern part of Hall County so that officers would not have to travel as far to get their paperwork done,” said Hall Superintendent Will Schofield. “They would have a place that they could gather, and have their meetings in the southern part of the county. It is an efficiency step.”
The sheriff’s office would use a portable building to serve its purpose, it was said at the meeting. Schofield said no details have currently been decided upon.
“We don’t know where that would be,” he said. “We don’t know how we would work it out.
“We would just be honored to have a sheriff’s precinct on one of our campuses in the southern part of the county,” he added.
Board Vice Chairman Craig Herrington asked if the school system already had portable units not in use, with Executive Director of Facilities Damon Gibbs replying the district was looking into that possibility.
Schofield said there were certain logistics to think through, such as the ability for law enforcement to be able to enter and exit whatever area quickly in case of emergency.
The board approved allowing consideration for the use of a school site for the precinct.
Lt. Earl Roach, safety coordinator for the school system, called the partnership between the sheriff’s office and the schools “unusual.”
“Most of the time, you don’t see that with a sheriff’s department and a school system,” Roach said. “It’s just grown into a partnership and a friendship. That’s the best part of it.”
Roach said he believes Sheriff Gerald Couch wants a place in the southern portion of the county so not everyone needs to make the trek to the main office to file reports or do other computer work.
“They can leave their post and go directly to their district,” Roach explained.
“It’s a win-win,” he added.