Greencastle-Antrim school board briefs

May 16, 2008

School board expels a pair of students

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - A pair of Greencastle-Antrim High School students have been expelled for separate incidents that occurred in April, according to principal Ed Rife.

On April 17, a 16-year-old girl was found to have child pornography downloaded to an iPod. The downloaded media was shared with another student before it was discovered by a third student and reported to administrators.

Rife said that the girl, a junior, has been involved in previous incidents and she has been expelled for the remainder of the current school year. She will be placed in an alternative school for the 2008-09 year.

On April 28, a 15-year-old freshman male was found to be in possession of a pocket knife, Rife said.

The knife was never exposed, but its outline in the student's pocket was recognized by another student and reported to administrators.

It is the first incident involving the male student, who has also been expelled for the remainder of the school year. The student is receiving alternative education, but could be readmitted to the high school after completing community service and undergoing counseling, according to Rife.

The rulings were made during an executive session at Thursday night's school board meeting.

Amended dress code approved for schools

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - The Greencastle-Antrim School District on Thursday night approved a dress code as part of the Student Code of Conduct for the 2008-09 school year.

The new dress code concerns the neckline of garments and after a discussion of about 15 minutes, school board members agreed that no cleavage shall be shown.

"It's a step in the right direction. It might not be what (students, parents, faculty) want, but it's a healthy compromise," said board member Charles T. McClain. "If it still doesn't solve the problem, then they can bring it back next year."

The amended proposal Thursday night was originally rejected by five board members and did not pass.

A vote for a dress code calling for a more specific proposal, which called for necklines no lower than 3 inches from the collarbone and no cleavage shown, split board members 4-4.

Board members were on the verge of leaving the current dress code unchanged, but digressed and voted once again on the amended proposal, which called only for no visible cleavage.

That proposal passed by a 5-3 vote, ending discussions that started when the code of conduct was first proposed in early April.

Arnold P. Jansen, Kristy M. Faulkner and Daniel J. Fisher rejected the proposal.

- Chris Carter

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