Drug violations decline in schools

The Columbia County school system is on its way to filling teaching vacancies for 2008-09.

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Deputy Superintendent Sandra Carraway said 14 teaching positions remain open for the 2008-09 school year.

"We're in very good shape," she said at Tuesday's school board meeting.

A number of auxiliary jobs still need to be filled, Carraway said, but the school system has hired two cafeteria managers.

The deputy superintendent also reported to the board on the number of disciplinary hearings in 2007-08. The number of hearings, which totaled 406, dropped from 437 a year ago.

She said disciplinary action for drug violations and accumulations of offenses had declined, but weapons violations have increased.

In other business, Carraway also said 30 to 35 of about 40 potential graduates plan to participate in the July 14 summer school graduation ceremony. School officials said this would be the largest summer graduation class in recent memory, and they attributed the increased numbers to students' ability to finish courses online.

Last year a total of seven students representing all four high schools participated in the summer graduation ceremony.

School board members also agreed to close the central office Thursday and Friday for the Fourth of July holiday.