District 5 Board to Conduct Superintendent's Evaluation in Public

The evaluation of Superintendent Dr. Stephen Hefner is scheduled to be conducted in public at the board's regular meeting Monday. 

Hefner called for a public evaluation after Bill Rogers, executive director of the South Carolina Press Association, called on .

The board's attorneys were going to collect reviews from members by telephone — an action Rogers said would "slap public accountability in the face."

Hefner said in May that he regretted the evaluation process had "generated controversy" and that he was willing to have his evaluation done in public. 

According to the board's agenda, which is attached to this article, the evaluation is one of five action items.

Action item highlights include:

• Approval of the recommended name for the district's new high school. The recommended name is Spring Hill High School.
• Approval of a proposed resolution requesting flexibility for state-funded instructional materials.

Executive session

An executive session will be held at 6 p.m. to receive a legal briefing on , and the Freedom from Religion Foundation.

Nielson sued the district for allowing a student-led prayer during Irmo High's graduation. 

In the lawsuit, Nielson said he suffered "unwanted exposure to a school-sanctioned invocation/benediction/prayer/religious message/blessing." 

The board will meet at. The regular session will begin at 7 p.m.

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