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Greenwood 51 board approves revised discipline, suspension and transfer policies
Summary
The Greenwood 51 board approved revisions to weapons, suspension, transfer and student‑activity policies to align with amended state law; the weapons policy emphasizes expulsion of students who are determined to have 'knowingly' brought firearms to school.
At its July meeting, the Greenwood 51 Board of Trustees approved a package of policy revisions intended to align district rules with recent amendments to South Carolina law.
The board approved a revision to policy JICI (weapons in school). The change reiterates that a student determined to have "knowingly" brought a firearm or weapon onto school grounds is subject to expulsion for no less than one year from the date of the incident; the superintendent said the policy also requires the board to be notified if any expulsion is for a period shorter than one year. During discussion a board member asked how the district distinguishes "knowing" possession from inadvertent possession; the superintendent said that determination will be made through investigations that include principals and the school resource officers (SROs).
The board approved JKD (student suspension) and JFAB (resident students / transfer admissions). JKD mirrors the state language prohibiting suspended students from school grounds or functions during the suspension period except for prearranged conferences. JFAB requires the district to post school capacity and clarifies factors the district may consider in admission and transfer decisions — including staff availability, facility capacity, class enrollment, prior discipline and academic records. The superintendent said applicants will be notified of decisions in writing within 30 days.
The board also approved clarifying language in JJ to distinguish school functions from extracurricular activities and to allow appropriate participation by homeschool and charter students.
Most of the policy votes were taken by motion and members raising hands; the meeting record shows motions carried but does not include counted roll-call tallies for each vote.
