Union County board adopts new extracurricular discipline code, hires principal and approves Chartwells contract

The Union County School Board on Tuesday adopted a revised extracurricular code that creates three offense categories for student misconduct, adds education-and-intervention pathways to reduce suspensions, and establishes a reinstatement panel for students facing career suspensions.

Presenters identified the new categories as: Category 1 for tobacco and alcohol; Category 2 for other controlled substances; and Category 3 for selling any substance. Under the revisions, some suspension time can be reduced if students complete approved interventions: a second-offense suspension can be reduced by up to half via an online intervention course, and a 365-day suspension may be reduced to a full season or 60 school days after completing an in-person intervention program. A reinstatement panel — made up of a school administrator, athletic director or assistant principal, the activity sponsor or coach, and one school social worker — will evaluate handwritten student reflections, staff recommendations and an interview; the panel’s decision is final, presenters said.

"We don't want to just hit the kid and say, 'we'll see you in a year' — we want to help that student get back and be better for the rest of their life," one presenter said, describing the district's emphasis on intervention and support.

Board members asked about how often suspensions reach higher levels (presenters said roughly two cases in the past five years), whether suspensions transfer when students move districts (administration said schools notify each other and that suspensions follow students), and whether timing could permit students to switch sports to avoid penalties; presenters said the policy includes timing limits and intervention completion requirements to reduce loopholes. The board voted to approve the handbook changes as presented.

The board also approved multiple personnel and operational items: the hiring of Warren Cook as principal of Union County High School, the hire of John Scott as a bus driver, and an extension of Amanda Elamin’s resignation date to July 31 to allow transition time. Warren Cook told the board he was "very excited" to return and described his goal that "no kid will graduate from Union County High School with just a piece of paper."

The board approved contracting with Chartwells to provide food service for the 2026–27 school year. A Chartwells representative described onboarding plans (an employee meeting this week, training and a food-service director assigned to the district), and said employees who transfer to Chartwells would not lose hours or pay and would receive a pay increase in that transition. The contract was approved.

Administrators presented and the board approved a package of central-office benefit and pay adjustments effective July 1, 2026: eligible central-office staff will receive 20 vacation days per fiscal year; the corporation will make an employer retirement contribution equal to 2.5% of an eligible employee's annual salary into a qualified retirement account; and certain central office hourly positions will receive a $3.50/hour increase (applied beginning with the first payroll period of FY 2026–27). The board also approved a 20¢/hour stepping increase for non‑certified staff and authorized implementation of a cloud-based time-tracking system and an employee self-service hub tied to payroll and personnel records, both scheduled to roll out in 2027.

Approvals on the consent agenda included accepting $2,931.55 in donations, trading in two older buses toward a new bus purchase, and purchasing a replacement maintenance truck to preserve the district's salt truck from corrosive damage. The board reappointed three members to the Union County Public Library board and approved routine policy updates, including an AI-policy report aligning district policies with recent state changes.

During public participation, Sarah Lynch, who identified herself as a lifelong Union County resident, asked for clarification about a no-trespass order issued to her son after he was escorted out of a district building in early May. Lynch said the written order did not specify which district properties he was barred from and included no expiration date. Board members told Lynch they would follow up with district staff and the sheriff’s office and asked to speak with her after the meeting to provide more information.

Superintendent remarks closed the meeting with announcements about back-to-school staff meetings, a successful youth basketball camp and a well-attended Fourth of July community event. Chair adjourned the meeting at 8:17 p.m.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting): - ECA/extracurricular handbook updates — approved - Hire Warren Cook, principal — approved (contract noted through 06/30/2027, with reevaluation in December) - Hire John Scott, bus driver — approved - Extend resignation date for Amanda Elamin to 07/31 — approved - Pepsi partnership renewal — approved - Chartwells food-service contract — approved - Acceptance of donations ($2,931.55) — approved - Staff handbook 2026–27 — approved - Central-office benefit/compensation package (vacation, retirement contribution, hourly increases) — approved - Non‑certified staff 20¢/hour adjustment — approved - Time-tracking/employee hub implementation — approved - Purchase maintenance truck; trade in buses 9 and 11 toward new bus — approved

The board indicated follow-up would be provided to the public commenter about the trespass order. The meeting included multiple routine votes; no litigation, ordinance adoptions, or external grant awards were recorded in the transcript.