The Trigg County High School Class of 2021 will now receive their diplomas on Monday, May 17 following action by the Trigg County Board of Education Thursday.
The board voted two weeks ago to set graduation for May 13, which is also the last day for students. However, high school guidance counselor Janay Futrell told the board that Hopkinsville Community College has a deadline for grade entry of May 11 for seniors that are taking dual credit courses. Futrell said the guidance department needs two to five days to process all grades and to verify credits and transcripts. Honor graduates are also determined during this time frame.
The graduation ceremony for the Class of 2021 will be Monday, May 17 at 8 pm. The student-led baccalaureate services will now be Wednesday, May 12.
Futrell said over 50 graduates from the Class of 2020 have confirmed through the school that they want to participate in their own ceremony. Those seniors were given their diplomas separately last year, and no single ceremony was held due to COVID-19. The Class of 2020 will have its ceremony on May 17 at 6 pm. The gym will be emptied so that the Class of 2021 graduation can be held at 8 pm.
The board also voted to waive attendance requirements for this year only involving honor graduates and those receiving a work-ready seal.
Elsewhere, Superintendent Bill Thorpe said there were five active COVID-19 cases involving students attending in-person classes in the school system. He also said quarantine numbers are coming down.
Thorpe said the entire elementary school will receive professional cleaning this weekend.
In his report to the board, intermediate school principal Brian Futrell said the second round of STAR testing involving third through fifth graders showed a 55-percent mastery in reading and a 60-percent mastery in math. He said reading scores are usually higher, but the lack of all students having hands-on teaching may be affecting the reading scores.
STAR testing is a short assessment test that provides teachers with learning data. Futrell said the third round of STAR testing will be given after spring break next month. The tests were taken by both in-person and virtual students.
James Mangels, the director of personnel and student services, praised the work that the teachers who are instructing the virtual students have done in the intermediate school.
In other business, Thorpe said the high school principal’s job has been posted and some applications have already been received. Shannon Burcham has announced he is retiring after serving as the high school’s leader for a decade.
Thorpe also gave the board an update on Senate Bill 128 that was signed into law by Governor Andy Beshear this week. The bill allows high school students to use the 2021-2022 school year as a supplemental school year to retake and supplement any coursework already completed.
Thorpe said any student who wishes to take another year of high school must notify the board by May 1 of their intentions. The school system has until June 1 to decide whether they will allow the students another year. The state is not providing any per-student funding for any student taking a do-over year. Thorpe said those students are allowed to play another year of sports so long as they don’t turn 19 before August 1.
In other business, the school board voted to give employees a 1-percent pay raise for 2021-22. There was no raise given in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
