UNcommon Sense: We're Back

"Fortunately, the vast majority of our transfers are great students who positively contribute to the Outlaw Culture of Hard Work, Integrity, and Perseverance. These foundational principals will be the focus for all staff and students in the upcoming year." -- Corey Holland, Marlow Public Schools Superintendent

And just like that, summer has come to an end. The 2023-24 school year will officially begin Thursday, August 10th. Our staff has been working very hard during the break to ensure a successful beginning to the new year. We look forward to the students returning with the promise and excitement that comes from a new beginning.

The most obvious changes for the new year have occurred at our high school and middle school campuses. The saferooms on each campus and the wrestling facility are over 70%

completed. We have made a lot of progress on the groundwork for the new Performing Arts Center and the New High School addition. Over the next couple of months, we are hopeful to get the foundation pad poured. These two builds will prove disruptive to the normal procedures at the high school. Essentially, we are building a new house and trying to live in it as we build.

Obviously, there will be disruptions to normal operations. Our goal is to minimize these as much as is reasonable but, more importantly, to ensure student safety is still the top priority. In terms of district-wide changes, there will be a few new procedures in place.

The first is related to our lunch program. In the past, our policy allowed students who have a lunch balance to continue to charge each day which only made the debt issue worse. Moving forward, once a student gets to $25 in lunch debt, he or she will be required to pay daily for any meals eaten. We will, as we always have, continue to communicate to parents/guardians who have unpaid lunch balances on a regular basis. We will also continue to work with families who may need to set up a payment plan. Our goal is to communicate issues with parents and not do things that might embarrass the student. It is a tough balance at times, especially when a parent or guardian will not return communication with the school.

To help with the situation, the most important first step is for ALL parents/guardians to fill out the confidential free and reduced forms being provided by the district.

This year, in order to be fully compliant with transportation policy as well as to increase student safety, we will only be transporting students to and from their qualifying enrollment

residence. By reducing the numerous daily variances in student pick-up and delivery locations our drivers are better able to ensure every student being accounted for which

improves safety for students.

Another change relates only to students attending as a transfer. Our district is re-evaluating all transfer students each school year. For any transfer student who has discipline issues or poor attendance, they may have their transfer cancelled. Put simply, if a student is enrolled as a transfer but will not follow school discipline policy or is consistently missing school - he or she could lose the right to attend as a transfer. Fortunately, the vast majority of our transfers are great students who positively contribute to the Outlaw Culture of Hard Work, Integrity, and Perseverance. These foundational principals will be the focus for all staff and students in the upcoming year. Knowing we have the support of our parents and community, great things are to come in the new year.