yfMflEij]
SEP 0 3 m?
jL3^3?I5UTi l::!
r I ^
/I
September 4,1997
( ^
The Perquimans Weekly
350
Vol. 65, No. 35
The only newspaper for and about Perquimans County people
Hertford, North Carolina 27944
Inside
Evelyn SUDbins
What DO you
do? by
Sean Jackson
Pa^3
Locals
honored by
N.C. Sproial
Olympics
Pages
Observations:
Ramblin’
with
Susan
Page 4
Pirate sports
highlights
Page 6
Perquimans County
an
All of Us
Community
September’s theme:
Do
Your
Best
Incorporate these Healthy
HABITS into your daily life and
help make our community a
better place to live!
For All of Us Care
information, contact
Sandra Williams Smith
.Perquimans County Chamber
426-5657
Henion acted properly in Tice case
Attorneys say
superintendent
followed policy,
state law in case
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The July 31 suspension
without pay and later res^a-
tion of Hertford Grammar
School principal Bill Tice has
some local residents question
ing the authority of schools
superintendent Randall L.
Henion.
Under the general statutes
of the state of North Carolina,
school boards are given the
authority to hire and fire
employees, according to Bob
Joyce, an attorney with the
North Carolina Institute of
Government at UNC-Chapel
Hill. The school board may del
egate its hiring and firing
authority to the superinten
dent, he added.
During its August 18 meet
ing, Raleigh attorney Richard
Schwartz of Schwartz and
Shaw, the firm representing
the school system in the Bill
Tice case, said that the
Perquimans County School
Board has the ultimate author
ity to hire and fire employees.
The school system’s policy
manual outlines that authori
ty.
The policy manual under
article 8150 No. 8 states that
one of the duties of the super
intendent is to “report to the
Board the case of any employ
ee whose service is unsatisfac
tory and recommend appropri
ate action.’’ When asked how
Henion could make the deci
sion to suspend Tice without
pay and begin dismissal pro
ceedings without first consult
ing the board in light of the
board’s policy, Schwartz said
that in the case of a tenured
employee, laws must be fol
lowed. He said the superinten
dent first gives notice to the
employee of intent to initiate
dismissal proceedings. The
board is notified later.
Donna Rascoe, an associate
with the firm, was asked last
week to clarify that position.
She , too, said that the board’s
policies must be used in con-
jimction with general statutes
when dealing with tenured
personnel. Rascoe added that
the rights of employees at
every stage of the dismissal
process must be protected.
Rascoe said both Tice and
the board were aware of his
unsatisfactory performance at
the time the action was taken
by Henion. To have involved
the board in the decision to
begin dismissal proceedings
could have affected its ability
to be a fair and impartial hear
ing panel later in the process,
had Tice opted to fight
Henion’s decision, she said.
When a tenured employee is
suspended incident to dis
missal, Schwartz said the
employee has the option to
request a hearing before a
Professional Review
Committee. The committee is
composed of principals and
superintendents from across
the state and is chosen by the
state board of education. That
body hears evidence from both
the administration and
employee. The committee is
asked to determine if the
employee was recommended
for dismissal because one of
the 15 reasons for dismissal of
a tenured employee set in the
general statutes exists. The
committee makes a recommen
dation back to the local school
board.. The local board is not
bound to accept the decision.
The tenured employee has
the option of requesting a sec
ond hearing before the local
school board. That body then
makes a determination of
whether sufficient reason
Paying respects
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPH:
People from around the world united in sorrow this weekend upon hearing of the traffic accident that took the life of Great
Britain’s Princess Diana, her companion and the driver of the vehicle in France. Floral tributes, photographs and cards have
been taid at royal palaces in London and the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. Princess Diana.has.been called j|
the hearts of the people worldwide. Investigation into the tragic accident continues. ■ '
exists to dismiss the employee
under general statute.
Tenured employees also
have the right to skip the
review committee and request
a hearing before the local
board first.
While the local board has
retained its authority to hire
and fire, Rascoe said Henion’s
decision to suspend Tice inci
dent to dismissal was made in
accordance with law. She
added that it was not made
hastily or without significant
forethought.
The attorney said that the
superintendent is the chief
administrator in a school sys
tem, and must make some very
difficult decisions, especially
regarding personnel.
Rascoe said that as a former
teacher herself, her first prior
ity in any personnel case in
which she is involved is pro
tection for the employee. That,
she said, is fundamental to the
whole process.
Three local
boards deal
with
resignations
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
The county board of com
missioners, school board and
Hertford Town Council are aU
looking to fill positions created
by recent resignations.
Hertford Town Manager
John Christensen said last
week that he received the res
ignation of police chief Bennie
Murphy effective Sept. 10.
Murphy, who accepted the
chiefs position in March 1994,
said 'Tuesday that he resigned
to pursue other interests.
MeanwhUe, the county com
missioners are in the market
for a parks and recreation
director. Todd Hunter, who
has held the position for a lit
tle over a vear. was recently
courted by officials in Dare
Coimty to join the recreation
staff there. He will leave
Perquimans Coimty later this
month.
Hertford Grammar School
guidance counselor Diana
Brock has also resigned.
SAT scores up here
Perquimans
high in area
scoring
By SUSAN R. HARRIS
Editor
Perquimans County High
School students performed
well compared to the
Albemarle area as a whole on
the SAT, according to figures
released by the state last
week.
Perquimans’ students
averaged 953 on the test, up
one point overall from 1996.
Dare County led the area
with 1028, followed by TsTrell
with 1027 and Currituck with
979. Chowan, Pasquotank,
Gates, Camden, Bertie and
Washington all had averages
lower than Perquimans’.
The statewide average was
978, compared to the national
average of 1016.
State Superintendent of
Public Instruction Mike
Ward said that overall, high
er scores were related to the
number of higher-level cours
es taken. Students who hadj
taken four years of high
school-level mathematics
earned an average score of
1003, 81 points higher than
the average score for stu
dents who took only three
years of mathematics.
Students are only required to
take three years of mathe
matics for high school gradu
ation. Coursework in geome
try, trigonometry and calcu
lus boosted scores signifi
cantly.
This relationship of
coursework to performance
held up in other subject areas
also. Ward said in a news
release.
Ward said that details of
the SAT report showed the
importance of good study
habits, of taking advanced
courses and of taking a bal
anced, rigorous selection of
courses.
The difference between the
national and state scores was
the lowest since 1972.
Festival to feature new events
Kid’s IDs, Kids
Olympics and
dance contest set
The Indian Summer
Festival is right around the
corner, and Chamber organiz
ers are excited about additions
to scheduled events.
Hertford Savings Bank will
host the KidCare Photo ID
booth, part of a national cam
paign by The National Center
for Missing and Exploited
Children to increase aware
ness about missing children
and to educate families about
the steps they can take to help
protect their children.
'The purpose of the KidCare
Photo ID event is to provide
parents with a free, standard
ized, high quality instant
photo of their child in an ID
booklet where they can main
tain statistics. The ID provides
parents with information nec
essary to have handy if their
child is ever lost or abducted.
The KidCare booth will be
open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. dur
ing the festival. Parents can
receive a free ID and booklet
for each child from age 6
months to 10 years.
Students from Perquimans
High School’s office adminis
trations and health occupa
tions programs will assist in
the booth. Volunteers from the
Perquimans County Sheriff’s
Department will be on hand to
fingerprint each child.
The Family Support
Partnership will sponsor a
Kids Olympics from 10 a.m.-
noon.
A dance contest has been
scheduled for the street dance
featuring Bill Deal and the
Original Rhondels, 8-11 p.m. at
Missing Mill Park.
The Indian Summer
Festival is organized and pro
moted by the Perquimans
County Chamber of
Commerce. For information,
call the Chamber at 426-5657.
Outside
High: Low:
70s 60s
SUNNY
High: Low:
High:
Low:
70s 50s
70s
50s
SUNNY
SUNNY