Tuesday,  June 10, 2014 • Vol. 16--No. 327 • 3 of 34

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• Cory Harder, girls assistant coach, stated that "The program is squeaking by with the funds they earn, but we haven't had new uniforms or bought any equipment in several years now."
• The soccer program in Groton has been strong for years. The high school program has about 50 kids signed up to play next year, making it one of the stronger sports programs offered by the school. The problem is that Groton is one of the only schools in this part of the state to offer soccer making traveling distance for games longer.
• Soccer was added to the Groton High School sports lineup two years ago, after some of the other programs lost their funding. As a result, the soccer program has not received any funding from the school district to maintain the sport. All the money to support the program has been raised through fundraising, which included gate fees and the revenue from the concession stand.
• With Monday's agreement, Soccer will receive $4850 from the school district. This will pay the coaches' salaries, freeing up some of the money raised by the program to be used for other things, such as new uniforms.
• A second reading and approval was given to the policy amendment on Patriotic Exercises. The policy was amended to include all school district classrooms in saying the Pledge of Allegiance each day. The policy will now also state that participation in the Pledge of Allegiance or any other patriotic activity was up to the individual and that nonparticipation could not be discriminated against.
• Several changes to district handbooks received first readings. Most of the changes were simple changes, however the new policies on alcohol/tobacco use and marijuana/controlled substance use, saw some major changes.
• The policies will now state that once a student" has been issued a ticket by law enforcement, is adjudicated, self-admission of guilt or is observed by staff" the policy will go into effect. The policy will now also cover the whole year, not just during the school year. So if a student is caught during the summer, the proposed penalties will be imposed when school starts in the fall. The penalties will increase with the number of offenses, which will now be accumulative for the whole four years of high school. Currently the number of offensives is reset to zero at the beginning of each school year. The changes will also include a way for the student to regain eligibility, through the use of prevention/treatment plans.
• Approval was granted for the hiring of volunteer football coaches, Baker Harr and Travis Williams, for the 2014 season. This was done at the request of Head Football Coach Shawn Wanner.
• The board approved the price quotes for the 2014-2015 bakery and dairy prod

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