MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Less than two months after the Baldwin County Board of Education accepted the resignation of Baldwin High School Principal Dr. Cloise Williams, a new principal has been named.

BOE members unanimously approved the hiring of Jason Flanders Tuesday evening at their regular monthly meeting as part of the personnel recommendations put forward by School Superintendent Dr. Noris Price.

Williams had been head of the high school since 2015.

“Dr. Williams is leaving us, and we wish him well as he begins a new chapter in his life,” Price said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We’ve been looking for a new high school principal for the last several months. I’m pleased to announce that the board did approve him when they voted on that consent agenda action item. I would like to now introduce you to our new high school principal, Mr. Jason Flanders.”

Flanders comes to Baldwin County from Peach County High School in Fort Valley where he served as assistant principal and CTAE (career, technical, and agricultural education) director. Both he and his wife Pam were present Tuesday, and he introduced himself to board members, district personnel, and members of the public that were in attendance.  

“First of all I would like to thank the board for accepting Dr. Price’s recommendation for me to be the principal of Baldwin High School,” Flanders said. “I’m going to spend the next few weeks getting to know the staff. I’m very much looking forward to working hard for the students, parents and faculty to get them engaged in the Baldwin High School experience. I’m just grateful for the opportunity and I’m excited to be here, so thank you very much.”

The new BHS principal graduated from Mercer University with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1998 before continuing his education at Georgia College where he earned a master’s and specialist degree in educational administration and supervision. He began his educational career as a math teacher at Westside High School in Bibb County. During his time at in Bibb he was principal of the county summer school program. In all he worked in Bibb County for 14 years, splitting time between Westside and Central high schools. Flanders moved on to Peach County in 2012 where he served as assistant principal and CTAE director. 

Flanders is currently serving on the board of the CTAE Resource Network and is a speaker for the statewide CTAE New Leaders program. His extensive CTAE background will likely come in handy as the Baldwin County School District moves toward creating a school-wide college and career academy at BHS. 

Price said Flanders’ official start date will be June 11. 

No cellphone ban for schools

Banning students from carrying cellphones inside school buildings had been discussed by BOE members and district personnel the last few months. It was ultimately decided after hearing feedback opposed to the ban to instead adopt a policy that prohibits students from using their cellphones during the instructional day, which is defined as when a student enters the building in the morning until he or she exits the building in the afternoon. 

Price gave her recommendation that the policy be passed and added that it would not formally go into effect until the 2018-19 school year. Cellphone use during the instructional day is already not allowed, but the new policy further defines when use is prohibited and outlines what happens when students are caught in violation. 

In other business Tuesday the BOE also:

• Approved the minutes for meetings held on April 9 and April 10, 2018.
• Approved the TAVT, sales, and use tax reports for the period ending March 31, 2018.
• Approved the purchase of GradPoint licenses for Oak Hill Middle School and Baldwin High School from Pearson Education in the amount of $28,450. 
• Recognized teachers in observance of National Teacher Appreciation Week.
• Recognized the school nutrition department for receiving the 2018 Silver Turnip the Beet Award from the United States Department of Agriculture.
• Recognized the Baldwin County School District for being named in the top 50 most generous workplaces by the United Way of Central Georgia after raising almost $14,000 this year for the local United Way chapter.