Graduation requirements for Lincoln County Schools wereofficially changed Monday to reflect a September decision by theState Board of Education.

The changes concerning academic tests will start with studentswho began the ninth grade last year, Lincoln County School DistrictAssistant Superintendent Dr. Leanne Summers told school boardmembers Monday.

Those students, who anticipate graduating in 2003, will berequired to pass all three sections of the Functional LiteracyExamination (FLE), plus a subject area test in U.S. History, saidSummers.

“They must pass all in order to graduate,” she added.

The FLE has been a graduation requirement for some time, butstate education officials are trying to phase out the test byreplacing it with subject area tests, explained Summers.

Students who began the ninth grade this year must pass themathematics section of the FLE, plus subject area tests in U.S.History and English II.

Each year a different subject area test will be added tograduation requirements until all four subject area tests areincluded.

School officials will send notices to parents and students thissemester to further explain the new graduation requirements.

Other school district changes approved during last night’s boardmeeting included an updated handbook for Eva Harris AlternativeSchool.

“We’ve had some problems with communication and how thingsshould be done, so we’re trying to address those,” saidSummers.

Some of the problems district officials hope to mend areconfusion on what type of work students should participate in whileattending Eva Harris, and who should assign the work.

“This should clear some of those things up,” Summers told schoolboard members as she presented them with the updated handbook.

Other problems district officials plan on fixing soon are leakyroofs at Bogue Chitto and Loyd Star Attendance Centers.

Although the roofs have been leaking for quite some time, theschool district had to wait until an application for MississippiPublic School Building Funds was approved.

“They’ve approved our application, and at least 90 percent of itwill be paid for by the state’s building fund, so we can nowadvertise for bids,” said Superintendent Perry Miller.

In other matters, school board members approved additionalholidays for employees of the district’s central office afterMiller made a request on their behalf.

“They want permission to take the same holidays as the schoolstake. . . but we’ll keep it open when we need to,” Miller toldschool board members.

After a short discussion on the matter, board secretary BrendaWarren made a motion to allow central office employees the week ofThanksgiving off, but only one week off during Christmas.

School board members agreed with this motion, adding thatemployees should be prepared, though, at any time to come to workif needed.

The next school board meeting has been scheduled for 5:30 p.m.,Dec. 4, rather than Nov. 20.