Boys and Girls Club asks school board for more space

KIMBERLY BELLAMY

The Edgecombe County Board of Education was presented with a few things to think about on Monday night that extended past what was on the agenda.

Public comments brought a community member forward that was concerned about the hiring policy for people with criminal backgrounds. The Boys and Girls Club of Nash/Edgecombe Counties got the opportunity to address the board members twice during Items for Information, and Items for Action on the progress they’ve made, and the progress they want to see made.

Marthiah Powell asked the board to consider looking at candidates for educational jobs within the school system on a case-by-case basis if they have a criminal background.

Powell who has had an opportunity to tutor children in Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and through a faith-based group said that she has a criminal background from more than 10 years ago.

She expressed her desire to pursue a career in education.

“Since then I’ve been going back to school to better educate myself,” Powell said. She is attending North Carolina Wesleyan College to receive a degree in education.

The board didn’t take any action or address their hiring policy as standard procedure.

While Boys and Girls Club Chief Professional Officer Theresa Shaw and Area Director Tony Orr reported what the organization has accomplished in Edgecombe County over the past year, the issue came up of space during Items for Information.

Shaw and Orr stressed that their services stopped at fifth-grade for students in Edgecombe, leaving little opportunity for them to participate past summer programs.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe County operates three sites through the school system in Edgecombe: Phillips Unit at Phillips Middle School in the Battleboro community, South Edgecombe Unit at South Edgecombe Middle School in Pinetops and Edgecombe Unit at Princeville Montessori School in Princeville.

The representatives said that the Edgecombe Unit poses a problem for students who want to continue membership.

“We’re getting to the fifth-grade, but at our Rocky Mount site we have a free-standing site,” Shaw said.

She said the cost to operate a free-standing site was expensive.

“We want to look after those kids until they graduate from high school,” Shaw said. “We have to find a way to follow them to middle school, and then again to high school."

Orr gave examples of the positive impact the organization has on students.

“Every senior in Boys and Girls Clubs in Edgecombe graduated and went on to a school,” he said.

He also said that there were zero pregnancies among members of the Boys and Girls Club.

The annual Youth of the Year event, which South Edgecombe student Alexus Farmer won Junior Youth of the Year, was mentioned as a way they recognize the accomplishments of the club members.

Orr informed them of the employment they provide in Edgecombe to over 20 people in part-time or full-time positions; the business partnerships with Sara Lee, Edgecombe Memorial Library and Embarq; the “Be Great” motto taught to the kids, and the character development program.

The character leadership program was done at Phillips Middle for eight weeks every Thursday.

“We touched every student at Phillips Middle School for at least 30 minutes,” Orr said.

Between the three sites, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Nash/Edgecombe Counties is serving 1,034 students this year. The summer membership is estimated between 350-400 students.

The board approved to continue the Interagency Agreement with Boys and Girls Clubs.

In other business:

•  The board approved the second reading of the policy regarding registered sex offenders.

The policy requires that all principles must sign-up to receive email notifications to be aware if an offender moves within a one mile radius of the school

•  The board approved a senior trip to Kings Dominion at Tarboro High School and a cheerleading camp in Greenville for the SouthWest Edgecombe High School junior varsity and varsity cheerleaders

•   The board approved CPA Gerrelene M. Walker of Tarboro to complete the audit for the fiscal year ending on June 30. Walker has a 28-year relationship with ECPS, with only a brief time in between those years of not completing the board audit

•   The board approved the revision of the Edgecombe Early College High School calendar to start three days later than previously scheduled to fall in line with the community college schedule.

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