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Wednesday, March 17, 2021 - Pike County Journal Reporter - Page 5B
SUBMITTED PHOTO
A van crashed into a home on East Jones Street in Molena on March 2, causing a gas leak.
There was only minor damage to the home and to the vehicle.
Van hits house, causes gas leak
A homeowner crashed
their van into a Mo
lena home on East Jones
Street Tuesday, March 2,
causing a gas leak which
filled the house.
The gas was turned
off by around 7 p.m. after
first responders, sheriff’s
office deputies and the
gas company arrived on
the scene.
There was minimal
damage to the house and
the vehicle but the house
was filled with gas and
had to be ventilated be
fore anyone could enter.
Head Start programs offered
through McIntosh Trail Early
Childhood Development Council
SPECIAL PHOTO
Local children can be registered for the McIntosh Trail
Early Childhood Development Council’s Early Head Start,
Head Start and Pre-K programs in Pike and other partici
pating counties. The free programs are offered to local
families. Applicants need to submit income verifications
and more and applications may be completed online at
MTECDC2020.org.
The McIntosh Trail
Early Childhood De
velopment Council
has started accepting
applications for Early
Head Start, Head Start
and Pre-K programs in
Pike and participating
counties for the 2021-22
school year.
“As we continue to go
through the COV1D-19
pandemic, please know
that health and safety
comes first when serv
ing low-income children
and families. Since CO-
V1D began, children are
virtual learning,” said
Felina Foreman of Pike
County Head Start. “Our
program offers a variety
of services which in
clude nutrition, health,
mental health, educa
tion, social services and
parent engagement.”
The Early Head Start
is for expectant moth
ers and children ages
8 weeks to 3 years old.
Expectant mothers
and pregnant teens are
encouraged to apply.
The Head Start program
is for children who
have or will turn 3 or 4
years of age by Sept. 1.
Children with disabili
ties, foster children and
homeless families are
given priority.
Head Start and
Early Head Start are
free programs and ap
plicants are required to
meet federal guidelines.
Applications may be
completed online at
MTECDC2020.org. Ap
plicants must submit
income verification
(1040, pay stubs, W2,
etc.), immunization
certificate (form 3231),
birth certificate and
medical card.
Home-schooled students could soon play public school sports
Home-schooled
students in Georgia may
soon get the opportunity
to compete on their lo
cal public school sports
team. If Senate Bill 51 is
passed, home-schooled
students in sixth through
twelfth grades may
participate in sports,
the arts such as band
and drama, and other
clubs as long as they are
enrolled in at least one
online class that is of
fered through their local
public school system.
The Senate Education
and Youth Committee
voted 7-2 in support of
the bill on Feb. 17, and
it will now continue on
in the Senate for further
debate.
Robin Hines, execu
tive director of the GHSA,
expressed to the commit
tee that passing the bill
would “provide opportu
nities for young people.”
Hines also stated that
with the current state of
education due to the coro-
navirus pandemic, “it’s
not a far leap” to allow
students who tradition
ally are enrolled in virtual
classes to participate in
extracurricular activities.
Georgia has the
chance to join 25 other
states in allowing home-
schooled students to be
a part of activities and
sports.
Most of these bills are
nicknamed “Tim Tebow
bills” after the former
University of Florida
quarterback who was
home-schooled while
playing football for a
Florida public school.
Georgia’s version of
the bill is named after
Dexter Mosley, a father of
six home-schooled ath
letes, who passed away
in 2019 at the age of 51.
Students would
participate in clubs
and sports for the local
public school in which
they are zoned and must
be selected for teams
through a normal tryout
process along with tradi
tional students.
“This is not just a
sports bill,” said Cole
Muzio, executive director
of the Family Policy Alli
ance of Georgia. “This is
a bill to end discrimina
tion in our state against
home school students
and allow them to partici
pate in all extracurricular
activity only available at
their public school.”
Much of the pushback
from Georgia schools has
been due to potential
costs, taking spots on
teams away from tradi
tional students, and the
uncertainty over how
to discipline a home-
schooled student.
Requiring a student to
enroll in at least one on
line course facilitated by
their local public school
resolves the issue, as it
ensures the student must
adhere to the school’s
student code of conduct.
“It’s time for us (Geor
gia) to move in this direc
tion,” Hines said.
Hines said the GHSA
is not fully on board with
the move, citing the need
for local schools to main
tain power in deciding
the ways home-schooled
students are allowed to
participate.
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