Newspapers / The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.) / Dec. 17, 1981, edition 1 / Page 2
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tChe<=n ew* - journal Qmo??ho\ NATIONAL NEWSWVPER ~ A^somTiON ASSOCIATION Published Ever) Thursdas at Raeford, N.C. 28376 119 W. Elwood Avenue Subscription Ram In Advance Per Year? M. 00 6 Months? S4. 25 3 Months? $2.25 PALL DICKSON Pubiiiher-Edilor SAM C. MORRIS (ieneral Manager BILL LINDAU Associate Editor MRS. PALL DICKSON Societv Editor Second C lass Postage at Raeford, N.C. (L'SPS 38*- 260) THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1981 Drug policy fair The subject of drugs in Hoke County schools came to public attention last week during a hearing held by the Board of Education on the pending expulsion of a 15-year-old student caught while allegedly smoking a marijuana cigarette. After hearing statements from the student's principal and assistant principal, a younger student who had been expelled for the same offense and two other students expelled for the same offense, the members of the board voted unanimously to uphold the board's own policy banning the possession or use of illegal drugs and prescribing the penalties for violation of the policy. The policy and penalty are reasonable and fair, though an attorney for the student for whom the hearing was held said the penalty was too harsh and deprived the student of an education for the remainder of the school year which would be the seven months from the date the student was caught violating the policy. In essence, the policy provides that the principal may suspend a student from classes for 10 days, then the student will be expelled unless he or she appeals to the school board and the school board rules against expulsion. Considering the penalty itself, the attorney apparently hadn't been informed that expelled students have the opportunity to continue their education during the periods of expulsion. TTiis is in the Extended Day program at Hoke County High School. The program isn't only for expelled students but also for others who are unable for one reason or another to attend regular school classes. Upchurch Principal Allen Edwards also explained to the school board that the student caught violating the ban has choices: he or she can let the matter be handled by the school, or take his or her chances with the law-enforcement people and subsequently the courts, juvenile or adult, according to the student's age. Edwards in replying to the attorney's statement the student has a right to an education (quoting a Wisconsin case ruling by an appeals court judge), declared that the health and safety of the student are the first and foremost concerns of the schools, meaning that those concerns qualify the right to an education. The three students who appeared at the board's hearing were among the 11 Upchurch students and the 10 Hoke High students expelled during the first 60 days of this school year for possession or using illegal drugs. How many others are violating the ban but haven't been caught yet isn't known, of course. Ignorance of the ban cannot be used as an excuse, either, since, Mina Townsend of the board pointed out, the board's policy is stated to the students at the start of each schoolyear, and this statement serves as a proper warning. The fact that drugs are used by some Hoke students as they are by students in other junior and senior high schools throughout the state, was made public by the hearing. Also made public, however, was the fact that school officials are trying to do something about it. Law enforcement agencies also are aware of the situation, and so are many parents of school students, though much of the general public isn't. The problem is difficult, a fact that has been known everywhere in the world for many years. But at least Hoke County people are trying to do something about it and without seriously interrupting the violators' education at that. They are doing just about all that can be done, till someone comes up with an effective plan to kill students' -- and adults' -- appetite for drugs and the incentives to use them. -BL Too much security We have to agree with the State School Boards Association spokesman's statement that the state's teacher tenure act gives educators "unwarranted job security." The spokesman. E. Eugene Causby, a former teacher and state assistant schools superintendent himself, said among other things last week the tenure act's purpose was to protect competent employees. "Our contention," he added, "is that in practice it protects incompetent employees." The act was the product of the abuse of hiring and firing powers of members of school boards of city and school systems. Before the act was passed, teachers and principals could be fired for any reason or for no reason, and competence on the job was no defense. The act was fathered by State Sen. McNeill Smith of Guilford County, an experienced school teacher before he turned lawyer. His intent was what Causby declared the purpose of the act was. But then, like many good ideas, it got mangled when it entered the machinery of the beauracracy, so that as it works now it's almost impossible for incompetent to be fired. Smith's bill, as does the act. listed 14 specific reasons for dismissal of an educator who has been granted "tenure," professional status. Essentially, tenure is granted to teachers who show in three probationary years professional performance and conduct satisfac tory to their administrators. Final approval of tenure status must be granted by the school board. It's in the appeal process that the matter becomes complicated and we won't go into that. In short, the act should be amended to condense it to the specified grounds for dismissal and a course of appeal for the dismissed teacher - the school system superintendent, then the school board. After a school board makes the decision, the teacher, if unwilling to accept h, has the court system to go to for relief, as at least two Hoke County educators have done in recent years. 'I think It's called defying the laws of gravity' Furthermore, teachers who are members of the North Carolina Association of Educators, which practically all are, can get legal help from the association. There's no doubt that teachers need a strong security act. as some, members of school boards and some administrators, today as it was 50 years ago. need something to help keep them honest. But it shouldn't be something that protects the incompetent, and at the expense of the school students in the long run. One example of the defect of the current act is sufficient. In another county several years ago, the school board suspended two high school teachers, both tenured, as a step toward dismissal. The reason was the teachers had engaged in a violent argument in the presence of the students of one of them. More unpleasantness followed in a counselor's office, to which the combatants had been persuaded to retire to continue their "discussion". The offense was among the 14. the tenure act specifies, as grounds for dismissal. But not long after the school board went into the appeals process, the board members threw their hands up, deciding it wasn't worth all that effort and expense, and the teachers were reinstated. [Browsing in the files of The News-Jpurna 25 years ago Thursday, December 13, 1956 Coach George Wood's Hoke High girls basketball team picked up a couple of victories during the week to bring their total to three with no defeats before their first appearance here Friday night. * * ? Hoke County cotton farmers voted over 18- to one in favor of cotton price support quots for 1957 in their referendum Tuesday. ? * * In a short ceremony after their Puppy Creek Philosopher Dear editor: Sometimes, trying to solve one problem brings on another. When the government ran out ot money one day a few weeks ago and President Reagan ordered all non essential offices closed, the bureau crats in Washington were thrown into a tailspin. Everybody wanted to be called essential and nobody on such short notice could prove he was. Some of them worked harder trying to prove they're essential than they'd ever worked before at their regular job. This clearly demonstrates that Washington needs a new commis sion to determine, in case the government runs out of money again, who's essential. Since this will be one of the most important commissions in government, you can't let just anybody serve on it. So that calls for a commission to select that commission. There ought to be a better way. The next time Washington runs out of money, if you call a deficit money, couldn't it just pawn something to tide it over for a few days? This brings up the question of what Washington could put up that a pawn shop would lend money on. 1 have given this considerable thought but wrack my brain as 1 will I can't think of anything, unless you know of a pawn shop -y that'll take a second mortgage on a political promise. Wait a minute. Come to think of it, reckon some pawn shop would lend money on the engraving plates the government uses to print money with? Yours faithfully, J. A. morning worship service bunaay, members of the Raeford Presby terian Church burned the notes on the property which had been fully paid. ? ? * Floyd L. Eubanks, 64, building manager of the N.C. Sanatorium at McCain for many years before his retirement last year, died suddenly in Moore County Hospital Friday morning. ? * ? Sheriff D.H. Hodgin reported yesterday that search of the Mc Neill pond for Hoover Bullard, Indian, missing since November 26. had continued to be unsuccess ful. and said that some of the searchers were beginning to wonder if he had not left for some reason. * ? * Palmer Willcox of the University of South Carolina was a visitor in town during the weekend. * * * Paul Livingston was named Wor shipful Master of the Raeford Masonic Lodge at the election held Tuesday night. 15 years ago Thursday, December 15, 1966 Local National Guardsmen who have been awaiting their call to six months of active duty with the armed forces will leave home beginning in January, it was an nounced this week. * * ? Hoke High wrestlers stormed to their third straight win of the season Thursday night, topping Aberdeen 56-5, in a near-perfect night on the mats. ? * * Rockingham's unheralded Rockets pulled a major upset Tuesday night in defeating Hoke High's Bucks 50-45, in a hard fought game at Rockingham. ? * ? A1C John Maultsby, 23, son of Mrs. Lois Austin of Raeford, was chosen "Airman of the Month" recently by superior officers in the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev. It's a Small W orld By Bill I.indau Now that Christmas is in sight, it's time for us to worry about what were're going to get for one friend or another. So here's a gift suggestion 1 bor rowed from a guy years ago but still may be helpful: for the person who has everything-penicillin. ? * * Timing is important for come dians and public speakers, among other people. Part of it is knowing when to quit. Take, for example, the man who was worried that the girl he wanted to impress would turn cold if she found out he had poor eyesight, so before his date he drove a nail into a tree in the woods where he plann ed to take her for a walk. When he met her that night, he suggested a walk in the woods in the moonlight, and she agreed. As they were walking on the route he had planned, he stopped and declared: "There's a nail in that tree over there," and he pointed to a tree about 50 feet away. She was properly impressed. "My goodness," she exclaimed, or words to that effect. "What a wonderful eyesight you have. Mine is good but I couldn't possibly see a nail in a tree 50 feet away even in broad daylight, much less at night." He should have stopped right there, as she was properly impress ed. But - oh, no, he had to push it. "Let me just walk over there and pull it out," he said, "It might be hurting the tree." On the way over, he tripped over a cow. I hope the new TV comedy series, "Open All Night," survives its opening rating (68th of 73 shows) and if so, 1 hope the writers can come up with episodes week after week at least half as funny as the first one. It's about an all-night conve nience store, and mainly its operator George Daundza and wife and teenage boy by her first marriage. In the first episode, the operator, Feester (Dzundza), is looking for a new manager, and he is interviewing a midget who has applied for the job. The midget is very touchy and testy, and barks in outrage at just about every ques tion. The operator at the end says he'll let the midget know "very shortly." Then he catches himself and corrects his remark with ". . very soonly." Later, the operator hires a large man, played by pro footballer Bubba Smith after the man grabs two shoplifters as they try to flee and holds them under his arms completely off the floor. Then the midget comes in and snaps a question to Feester about the job. Sorry, the operator replies, indicating Bubba, who is black, and says he's hired one. There upon the midget yells: "You discriminated against me because I'm white." That "discrimination" story calls to mind another. Two men were riding upward in an elvator in a New York office building. One asks the other where he is going, and the man replies he's going to a network radio office for a job that's open. Some time later, the two men are on the elevator riding down. The job seeker is looking dejected. "Well, how'd you make out? his fellow taveler asked him. The other replied that he didn't get it. Then he said, "B-b-b-b-bec because I'm a Jew." The other offered his sympathy, then asked him: "What kind of job were you tryiing to get? The other replied: "A-a-a- r-r-r_ rad-radio ann-ann-announcer." Glen Rounds, an artist and writer of children's books, who lives in Southern Pines, once nad a huge German Shepherd named Thor whose conduct was somewhat odd at times. Rounds also had a cat. Thor for fun used to grab the cat and carry her around for a while in his mouth by her head. This didn't hurt the cat but it did irritate her considerably. The cat used to get even though. When ever see saw Thor taking a nap, she'd leap on his back or side with all four sets of claws out, dig in, then jump off and run away as he awoke with roars of pain and rage. Thor, like other dogs, also used to chase squirrels. But when he caught one, he'd roll it over on its back, lick its chest and stomach, and then walk away leaving the lit tle beast unharmed but very puzzl ed. Thor also was very protective of his folks. If somebody was talking to one of his family and made a sudden gester with his hand, Thor would immediately" grab the outhurst forearm in his jaws and squeeze gently, as though in warn ing. One time, though, this warn ing system cost Rounds some cash for medical treatment: Thor didn't squeeze gently enough, and broke the man's arm. 1 was reminded of Rounds, Thor and the cat on reading recently that Rounds had received the North Carolina Award for literature. It's the highest the state gives. Other winners included Tom Wicker, The A lew York 77meseditorial columnist who is a native of Hamlet. He won it for his newspaper and book writing. Before going on to the Big Time, Wicker once served as manager of the Southern Pines Chamber of Commerce and got his early ex perience in news work as a reporter for the weekly The Sandhill Citizen, which is published at Aberdeen. His award was a special one given to a North Carolina native living outside the state. The other North Carolina Award winners were former State Sen. Ralph Scott of Haw River (Alamance County, where Burl ington is), for public service; Dr. Vivian T. Stannett of Raleigh, vice provost and dean of the North Carolina State University Graduate School, for science (polymer chemistry); and Adeline McCall of Chapel Hill, a musics educator and special consultat to the North Carolina Symphony, for fine arts. ? * ? I've been getting a lot of exercise every day since 1 had to put Fred on a leash when 1 take him out of the house. I had to start using the leash again when this policeman came to the house and informed me that Fred had been trying to dig his way under "the man's fence" across the street. The reason was Fred had become infatuated with a female j dog who lives on the other side of the fence. To put it as delicately as possible, it wasn't entirely Fred's fault, nor was it the female's. One of those times of the year came to this dog that comes to all female dogs who haven't had corrective surgery to prevent puppies. So Fred, being a normal, healthy male dog, was merely doing what comes naturally. Anyway, Fred walks pretty fast, f and 1 take him out every time he expresses the wish, because I'm trying to make up at least partly to him his curtailment of freedom. So I'm getting a lot of exercise. So far, it's just alternately walk ing and running. If he ever catches sight of a squirrel in a fenced field though, the situation will add hurdling or fast crawling, or maybe I'll just say , the heck with it and turn him loose. Oh, well. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Letters To The Editor Editor. The News-Journal. I don't know if you will publish this letter or not, but I will write it anyway. It's about a subject that has been on my mind for about three weeks now as I watch my children and listen to what they say about this situation. Up until about 4 weeks ago. My 8 year old son and 10 year old daughter had a pal that they thought a great deal of and had a lot of fun with. This pal was a big, lovable St. Bernard dog. They called him Brandy. He was like a member of the family to all of us but especially to the kids. About 4 weeks ago while we were gone to church. Brandy dis appeared, and we have not seen htm since. We thought at first that he may have just wandered off even though he- had always been good to stay in the yard. Every time a dog barked, the kids would run but into the yard to see if Brandy had maybe come back home. But he hasn't!!! I called the Dog Warden to see if he had seen him, I rode around to see if we could spot him, I even put an ad in your paper a couple of t | weeks ago to see if someone might have seen him. So far, I have not heard a thing and the children have just about given up on ever seeing Brandy again. Maybe someone in the range of this paper may have seen our dog \ and if you publish this letter, maybe we can have Brandy back jj home with us. I don't want to think he has come to harm, but if anyone has seen him anywhere, maybe they < f) will let me know so the children will stop expecting him home every time ! they hear a dog bark. Please, if you have seen our dog, we would like to have him back. Brandy, wherever you are, we miss you. Yours truly, Lena McArthur and children (Bobby & Rene') 875-5159 Route 1 , Box 261 % Raeford , N.C. 28376
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Dec. 17, 1981, edition 1
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