During the Monday afternoon Cherokee County School Board Work Session, Superintendent Mike Welsh called the work session to order. He pointed out to the Board their Yearly Comparison Accountability Report Cards.

He told the Board, with some principals in attendance, the scores for each school in the system. The Cherokee County School System overall Score was 86 for 2022-2023. It’s above the state average of 83. He also told them the graduation rate is 93%. This is also above the state average. Cedar Bluff High School improved to an A with a 91% overall grade.

Superintendent Welsh stressed that chronic absenteeism is a hindrance to learning. It’s hard to prepare for graduation and college prep if students consistently miss school.

After this, the main topic was talked about at length with everyone in the room. This topic was the Anti-Vaping Policy. He said the big thing is we don’t know what’s in those vapors.  It is very addictive and is a problem and a huge safety concern. Schools have had to call 9-1-1 in a couple of situations.  The Board said that since students are underage, it’s illegal for them to use.  Each school has different disciplinary actions. Each school is different. They are looking into vape detectors, which can be expensive.

Welsh told the group anything we can do to deter this we will. They can give the students an app, which can be used to turn people in if they see them vaping. They don’t have to give their names. This goes to three different school administrators. They are taking steps in the right direction.  Superintendent Welsh told the board we need to put this in the school policy for next year. Parents need to be more involved also. The Board said we all need more information on vaping in school. Everyone agreed to work on getting more information for a uniform policy.

The next Cherokee County School Board meeting will be Wednesday, February 14th, at 4PM.