The Columbia County Board of Education gave the go-ahead to form a committee to research the issue of the school calendar year.

The board agreed in a meeting Tuesday to form the panel,which will conduct surveys to get community input on the school calendar and any suggested changes.

Board member Mike Sleeper said he would rather the board take action to determine whether the school calendar needs improvement and make necessary changes than wait to see whether the state Legislature takes up what he calls a local issue.

"We are responsive to the community and can serve them much better," Mr. Sleeper said. "This is a problem that needs to be solved on our level, not theirs."

The 19-member committee will be made up of five parents; a principal or assistant principal and a teacher from each school level; representatives from church, recreation and business communities; Karen Ribble, the school system's special projects coordinator; and the four high school student council presidents.

"It's a good mix of people," board member Mildred Blackburn said.

Board member Roxanne Whitaker said the public needs to be informed about 180-day school calendar years with a 90-day semester before the Christmas holidays and another semester of equal size after the holidays.

Board Chairwoman Regina Buccafusco wants to present three sample calendars to the community before any decisions are made.

"I think we need something that concrete for people to vote," she said.

The board also approved a collaborative planning time for teachers using substitute teachers and paraprofessionals to cover their classes.

"We're making sure schools aren't scheduling them on the same day to make sure we have an adequate number of substitutes," Superintendent Tommy Price said.

Mr. Price also presented changes to the school systems' Code of Ethics for Educators that mirrors that of Georgia's Professional Standards Commission.

The changes, which the board approved, clarify procedures for school administrators, teachers and staff on how to handle and report crime on school grounds.

The board gave tentative approval to changes to the system's Student Welfare-Child Abuse policy. The changes bring the policy up to date with state and local law enforcement standards on how and when to report child abuse, including any form of sexual misconduct.

"It's all about protecting the children and the duty to report," Mr. Price said, adding that much of the additions were taken from the standards commission policy or from state or local laws. "We won't go wrong if we stay within the letter of the law. ... I really feel like we've got a better policy, a clearer policy."

Reach Valerie Rowell at 868-1222, ext. 110, or valerie.rowell@augustachronicle.com.