FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – The Florence School District Three Board held its annual stakeholders’ meeting Thursday night.
The district discussed a school restructuring plan, and school safety precautions that will be taken for the 2018-2019 school year.
Superintendent, Laura Hickson, said staff will go through active shooter training over the summer.
Hickson said safety is the district’s top priority.
“With the number of school shootings that have been across the United States, we want our parents, and our students to know that they’re safe here,” said Hickson. “We are doing a number of things already like random searches. We’re doing our safety drills weekly.”
Hickson said by the end of August, five schools in the district will have safety walls built to redirect visitors to the main office of the school.
“Some of our entrances at our schools are pretty much open,” the Superintendent explained. “When you walk in you can either go to the office, which they require you to do, but there’s always that potential where they can go in a different direction.”
Hickson said another big change to the district will be the addition of two new schools in the fall.
“We’re going to have each school focus on a particular area, some will be focusing on arts, some will be focusing on STEM,” she said.
The Superintendent said the students will have the choice of which school they want to attend.
“We have two cohorts of early college students, so we just have a variety of choices just to try and meet the needs of our students,” said Hickson.
Hickson said the schools can be renovated because of the $9.1 million grant the district received for the magnet schools.
The Superintendent said J. Paul Truluck teachers, and students, will see some of the biggest changes in the fall.
J. Paul Truluck’s name will change to J. Paul Truluck School of Creative Arts and Science.
“That particular school, instead of housing just sixth graders, will house grades sixth through nine,” she explained. “And will add a grade each year until it becomes a high school.”
Hickson said beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, third graders will be tested on their reading skills. The Superintendent said if the student does not read at a third grade level, that student will be held a grade back.
News13 asked Hickson about the possible consolidation of Florence School District Three with another district, and she said the school board will have to wait on results from the state’s committee to come back next year.
“I’m not sure, I do know that they [the state] have selected a committee to study this proposal,” said Hickson. “We’re just waiting to hear back the findings from the committee, so right now, I don’t have any additional information.”
