The Andalusia Board of Education named Andalusia Middle School assistant principal Victoria Anderson interim principal at Thursday night’s board meeting.

Anderson will fill the position vacated when Ted Watson was named interim superintendent last month.

“The dominoes began to fall since I was named interim superintendent,” Watson said. “The 120 days the board has to find a new superintendent will put us well into the school year. We thought it would be easier make these transfers now, rather than try to find someone during the middle of the year.”

Andalusia Elementary School assistant principal Rob Mixson was transferred to AMS to serve as assistant principal, and Andalusia High School assistant principal Donna Glisson was transferred to AES as assistant principal.

“Dr. (Daniel) Shakespeare will get some administrative assistance,” Watson said.

In additional personnel action, the board accepted the resignation of Allen Catrett as seventh grade math teacher and hired Cecil Johnson as math teacher at AHS and Charlotte Calhoun as English teacher at AHS.

“This should wind (our hiring) down except for the music teacher position at the high school,” Watson said. “We have condensed some units down to make the most of our money.”

Watson said the board hopes to hire a quarter-time choral teacher to teach one block per day.

The board has been advertising for a potential part-time choral position, but Watson said they have yet to find someone to fill it.

There are two other positions still open at the elementary school and middle school – an elementary school P.E. teacher and a middle school social studies, math and English teacher.

In other business the board,

• accepted child nutrition program bids for bread, beverage and slush. Sara Lee and Coca-Cola were awarded the bids.

• approved changes to the transportation handbook.

• approved changes to the AES handbook, which included an addition that says “AES reserves the right to administer corporal punishment as a disciplinary method according to Andalusia City School Board policy.” Parents who object to this policy should notify the school in writing prior to the start of school.

• approved changes to AMS handbook, which included an addition that says, “No body piercing. The only acceptable type of piercing at AMS is ear piercing.

All other piercings are potentially hazardous to student well being and are a potential distraction in the classroom. Anderson said body piercings have become a problem at the middle school and a student swallowed a lip ring last school year.