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Mill Collective opens in downtown Tallassee

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Tallassee school board approves cell phone pouches By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor Cell phones will not be visible during the school day any more at Tallassee City Schools. The Tallassee Board of Education approved use of Yondr pouches, similar

to those used at Stanhope Elmore High School, to help with enforcement of a cell policy that has long been on the books for Tallassee schools. “Our policy already states the phone is supposed to be off and put up during the school day,” Tallassee

superintendent Dr. Brock Nolin said. “This is just a tool to help teachers and administrators with that policy.” Nolin noted many schools locally, in Alabama and throughout the country have

FILE | TPI

Tallassee City Schools will be using a locking cell phone pouch similar to one already used by Stanhope Elmore High School this school year.The measure was approved by the Tallassee Board of Education last month.

See APPROVES, Page A5

Tallapoosa Publishers takes top honors at APA summit STAFF REPORT TPI Staff At the 2024 Alabama Press Association Summer convention banquet, Tallapoosa Publishers’

newspapers and magazines were awarded some of the top honors throughout the state. Of the 56 papers

See HONORS, Page A6

CITY SCHOOLS CUT CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IN HALF

FILE | TPI

Tallapoosa Publishers’ own Audra Spears won first place in the statewide Ad of the Year contest at the 2024 Alabama Press Association summit for her ad “People Read.”

Victims get help in court By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor Victims of crimes can feel left out of the loop sometimes.

There are numerous court dates and questions surrounding the process. The attorneys involved in a victim’s See HELP, Page A5

CLIFF WILLIAMS | TPI

District attorney C.J. Robinson, left, speaks with the Elmore County Commission. Robinson is thankful funding from the county helps fund a victim service officer.

By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor

ull test scores haven’t been released yet. But Tallassee City Schools is already celebrating what it hopes will be on the system’s next report card. “Attendance drastically improve across all three schools,” Southside Middle School principal Brittany Spencer said. “We are very proud of the efforts from students, families, staff and our community for making this a priority.” Chronic absenteeism affects scores in a multitude of ways. It is when a student is absent 18 or more days during the school year. Tallassee

High School principal Drew Glass said employees would not likely be employed if they reached what is defined as chronic absenteeism in education. He said there are 180 days in the school year and it represents being absent 10% of the time. It is being absent one day every two weeks. Being absent isn’t the only problem. Students miss instructional time and that lowers academic success. “With attendance improving, academics are going to improve,” Glass said. This past school year, Tallassee educators were already concentrating on

absenteeism before the report card came out from the previous year and the efforts paid off. At Tallassee High School chronic absenteeism was cut by 57.2%. At Southside Elementary School it was cut by 56.2% and 67.2% at Tallassee Elementary School. “I really give kudos to the parents last year for buying in and taking ownership of their children’s education,” Nolin said. Nolin believes similar absenteeism would have improved the district’s overall report card to a mid B and lifted the high school’s grade from a D to See SCHOOLS, Page A5

FILE | TPI

Attendance at Tallassee City Schools has increased across the board. Educators are hopeful increased attendance improves the system’s state report card.

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