The calendar committee presented a draft of the 2010-11 calendar to the Surry County Board of Education at Monday night’s meeting at White Plains Elementary School.

The proposal, which will be available for 30 days to provide opportunity for public comment, includes some changes in format from previous years.

One of the glaring changes is the shortening of the winter break holiday from the typical two weeks to eight weekdays, spanning two weekends. The days taken from the winter break will be used during the spring semester as work days in an attempt to break up the length of time students go without a break. This would also allow for a two-day break between semesters, something the calendar committee felt would be beneficial for high school students. There will also be an additional work day in March.

Like the calendar for this school year, the proposal includes four early release days for professional development, one early release day before the winter break and one on the last day of school in June.

The proposed calendar calls for an 87-day first semester with an option to retain that if inclement weather requires rescheduling for up to two days prior to first semester exams.

There is also an additional day off for students for spring break without creating two-day weeks. The students would have Thursday through Tuesday off over Easter weekend. However, that additional day could be used as a make-up day for inclement weather.

This calendar also includes Memorial Day as a holiday for the school system, something that was not included in past calendars. The school system has previously received complaints that students had not received the day as a holiday.

“It had not been an issue in the past because we had started earlier and had not been in school then,” said Assistant Superintendent Dr. Terri Mosley.

The calendar also set definitive graduation dates for June 10 and 11.

“I will be interested to hear the comments,” said Brian Gates, board of education vice chair, after the board approved the calendar proposal to lay on the table.

The public can view the proposed calendar by visiting http://www.surry.k12.nc.us/admin/meeting_agendas.asp and opening the agenda document for the Nov. 2 board meeting.

The board also approved a number of policies to lay on the table for 30 days before being approved. These policies were handed down by the North Carolina School Board Association for approval. One policy deals with ethics training for school board members and the hours of training required. Another policy deals with foreign exchange students. The school system has a policy in place to allow students from other countries to attend school here, but there is not a framework in place to allow county students the opportunity to study abroad.

Two of the policies, Policies 1710/4021/7230 and 1720/4015/7225, deal with discrimination, harassment and bullying in schools. One is a policy prohibiting these actions while the other is a policy regarding the complaint procedure in regard to these actions.

“This does meet the mandate from the General Assembly. It will replace the existing sexual harassment policy and it includes cyber-bullying,” said Fred Johnson, board attorney, of the policies.

To view a complete copy of these policies, visit the Surry County Schools Web site at www.surry.k12.nc.us and follow the appropriate links under the Admin and Board heading.

All four of these policies will be on the agenda for approval at the December board meeting as they need approval by Dec. 30.

Construction is still progressing on the new Pilot Mountain Middle School and Rockford Elementary School. According to Superintendent Dr. Ashley Hinson, the weather has not caused many issues with the construction process.

The board has also planned a topping-out ceremony for the Pilot Mountain site for Nov. 19. The topping-out ceremony takes place when the final piece of steel is put into place on the building.

“I think it’s just a great way to celebrate that with the community,” said Michele Hunter, board member.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a school building go up as fast as these,” said Sue Stone, board member.

Mosley also gave board members an update on the flu concern in the school system. She reported that the administration of the seasonal-flu flu mist to students is almost complete as those under 9 years of age need a second round. There were 3,475 students, around 40 percent, who participated in receiving the flu mist. She reported that there are several reasons why some students were unable to receive the flu mist or chose not to.

“It was a lot better than having to give shots,” said Mosley of using the flu mist instead of the vaccine.

Assistant Superintendent Pat Widdowson reported that Sylvan Learning Center provided the opportunity for high school students to take a practice SAT test free of charge. There were 78 students who took advantage of the opportunity on a Saturday. This is the first time the practice test was offered.

The board recognized the Surry County Schools child nutrition staff at the meeting for its hard work during the year. The staff serves 3,453 breakfasts per day and 7,077 lunches per day. The staff is also responsible for providing food during other school events, such as providing boxed lunches for the Born to be Wired technology workshop held for teachers over the summer.

Franklin Elementary School was recognized by the board for the work the staff has put into the Positive Behavior Support program which is in its second year. The school was recognized Monday in Greensboro as a model school in the implementation of the program. There are 777 North Carolina schools that implement PBS of which 183 were recognized at one of three levels. The third level is the green ribbon school, the second level is the model school and the top level is an exemplary school.

Contact Morgan Wall at mwall@mtairynews.com or 719-1929.