Panel votes to amend school attendance policy

Greenbrier Elementary School third-grade teacher Cheryl Gamblin went to Tuesday's Board of Education meeting for one thing. And she got it.

School trustees tentatively approved amending a policy that allows employees' children to attend the school where their parents work.

That's good news for Gamblin and others like her. Gamblin has two boys - one in kindergarten and the other in third grade - who attend Greenbrier Elementary School. But Gamblin lives in the Riverside zone. As the policy now stands, her children would have to progress to Riverside Middle, leaving their friends behind.

"I'm very pleased," the teacher said after the board's vote. "They would have had to go to Lakeside Middle, which is fine, but there are tons of reasons why we want them to stay at Greenbrier - transportation, not wanting them to go home and have to be in the house by themselves, not knowing where they are. They've made a large group of friends, and we don't want them to have to leave them."

Georgia law requires school systems to allow teachers' children to attend the same school. Columbia County has expanded that offer to all employees, Columbia County school Superintendent Tommy Price said.

"I don't know how many of our parents will take advantage of this, but my position is we should do anything for our employees that we can that's not going to pose a burden on us," he said.

Price said the new policy, which the board is expected to approve at its April 23 meeting, would be one more incentive the county could offer to recruit teachers.

"These kids essentially give up their parents to our school system, so it's the least we could do," board member Regina Buccaffusco said.