By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Two Juab High School students presented the board of
education with 475 signatures from students and faculty at
the school protesting the cancellation of a softball
tournament the last day of school.
Joe Anderson and Tyler Davidson said they were not
protesting a proposed final exam, but were protesting the
cancellation of the tournament.
"The students being punished are the ones who have been
coming to school," said Anderson.
Davidson said students were also given short notice of
the exam.
Delanie Hathaway, board vice president, said that the
board had on-going concerns about students continuing to
learn right up until school was dismissed. They wanted good
learning to take place and that did not mean watching videos
in classes instead of learning.
"We would like to see that addressed," she said.
She said that she did admire the students for attending
board meeting and for becoming involved in the process.
Rick Welsh, board member, said that it was important that
all kids be involved in the tournament. If that was not the
case, he said, and if half of the students were going off
campus to do other things and were missing school, then that
was not a good thing.
"Some students are choosing not to come," said Cal Baird,
teacher."Our group started because the community had
tremendous bad things happening the last day of school."
He said there were potatoes put inside car's tail pipes,
windows broken, water balloons thrown from vehicles,
students riding around in the back of pickup trucks and
other safety issues occurring.
He said there were two tournaments each year. One was
recreational and the other was technical. Both tournaments
attracted many participants. Those playing on the
recreational teams were interested in just having a good
time playing ball.
Many of those students not playing were helping. At least
50 students helped run the tournament each year, he
said.
Last year, there were 17 teams.
"You will never get 100 percent of the students to
participate," said Baird. "The seniors are gone."
Rick Durbin, principal, said that there would be 300
students, approximately, who would be available to play.
Some students preferred watching the games. Others
helped.
As for keeping students learning through the year,
students who did miss school at other times attended Utah
High School Activities Association sanctioned
activities.
Two and a half percent may be absent but they were not
really absent but were at school activities, said
Durbin.
As for students missing classes for such events, they
just needed more teachers like Ms. Loreta Whicker, said
Davidson.
"She expects you to get in the work you have missed. She
doesn't wait for you, the class moves on without you," he
said.
Wright said that some students checked out of classes
early at the end of school. Some did not attend school and
did so without parental knowledge, in other words, they
sluffed.
"Recent statistics in the United States indicate that
school is fun and games the last two weeks," Wright said.
"That is part of the culture that we are creating."
"The culture that is created when everyone thinks that
nothing important is happening at school the last two weeks
is not good," said Wright.
Parents scheduled family vacations and took not only high
school students but elementary school students out of
school.
In Utah schools, students attend school for 180 days. In
many places in the educated parts of the world, students
attend classes for 240 days. That amounts to 1,400 hours of
education per year for Utah students.
There is also a lability issue to be considered on the
days of the tournament when not all the student body
supports the event.
The unexcused, he said, were in places where neither the
school nor the parent knew about.
Last year, said Wright, there had been complaints from
police and from the other school principals.
The last 42 days of April and May, said Wright, there had
been 50 activities on the high school level where students
had missed school.
"Students say, 'Why go to school, there is nobody
there,'" said Wright.
"The superintendent has been attempting to address the
concerns of the board," said Hathaway.
She said she favored turning the question back to the
administration.
"There are a number of things we do not need to
micromanage," she said.
However, she did want the school to address the problem
of attendance. It was still a school day, she said, and the
district was still liable for the students who should be in
school. The schools still needed to know where the students
under their jurisdiction were.
The board also wanted meaningful learning to take place
during the last week of school.
Davidson said there should be a way of taking attendance
and keeping track of students so that the tournament could
still be held.
"Who didn't have fun the last day of school?" asked
Cheryl Kay, board member.
"We are in favor of educating kids," said Welsh, "not
taking away all of the fun."
He would be in favor of allowing the activity if the
school would address the attendance and accountability.
Perhaps, the campus could be closed and the faculty could
shut down all parking lots.
"It is a function of our age," said Hathaway. "They have
to be there or let their parents be accountable for
them."
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