Dear Editor,

In response to the comment written by concernedinClanton: Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teachers have a rigorous process that they and their program must go through called Business and Industry Certification. This review is conducted by the state department of education. Without proper completion of this process the program could be closed. An integral part of this process is the equipment that is to be used to meet the objectives in the state course of study. The state course objectives are such that FACS teachers must have a refrigerator in the cooking classroom. The FACS department that I am responsible for includes a Food Dynamics class. Students are completing assignments in the cooking lab, on average, three times a week. Neither Mr. Moore nor our local board has the authority to override state policies. Therefore, the FACS teachers were not told to unplug the required appliances. Our local school board is doing all it can to save jobs by cutting back where feasible. I hope that, as Chilton County teachers, we will ban together to get through this difficult time. We all need to project a positive image to our community and support our local school board’s effort.

— Karen Cox, Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher at Jemison High School