As the new school years draws near, final preparations are underway at Homer-Center, including updates to the student handbooks. One of the most significant changes reflects more stringent immunization requirements for students.
Students used to have 8 months from the first day of school to comply with their grade’s immunization requirements. Due to new laws, a student now has only 5 days from the start of school to provide documentation of immunization, or a signed certificate from a physician indicating when an immunization is scheduled. Philosophical or religious objections can be submitted within the first five days as well. If none of these requirements are met, a student must be excluded until they comply.
The immunization requirements are available on Homer-Center’s web site.
In other news, the board voted to exonerate $1,727 of the district’s 2017 real estate tax through STEP, or the Senior Tax Exemption Program. Business Manager Greg Cessna explains seniors can have up to $660 exonerated through volunteer work:
“What happens with it is they’re able to log hours and then turn those hours into a dollar amount that they can be- have their real estate taxes exonerated, just like we did this evening. Helps the community, helps the school, helps the tax payer.”
STEP participants can serve as crossing guards, or aid instructors and administrators with tasks like filing. If you would like to participate, you can contact Greg Cessna at 724-479-3601, extension 2111, or by email a gcessna@homercenter.org.
Finally, the list of bus routes and drivers for the upcoming school year was approved, as was the substitute teacher list. The board also voted to raise the substitute pay rate from $85 per day to $90.
