Latest news with #HCS
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Hartselle, Athens ranked in top school districts in Alabama
Jun. 4—Hartselle City Schools and Athens City Schools were both ranked in the top 25 best school districts in Alabama by recently. Hartselle received the No. 10 spot out of 141 school districts. Athens was ranked No. 18. "I would say greatness breeds greatness," said Hartselle City Schools Superintendent Brian Clayton. "It's kind of hard to get away from it. Once you set a certain standard, that's what people do. It's the expectation." HCS has consistently been in the top 10 school districts in the state for multiple years, according to Niche. The website releases school rankings each year. Factors considered for the rankings include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates and teacher quality. A higher weight is placed on the academics. Teachers, culture and diversity, and self-reported surveys are considered at a lower weight. Then resources and facilities, extracurricular opportunities and sports are weighed even lower. Rankings are based on data from the U.S. Department of Education and parent-student surveys. Hartselle was also ranked the 14th best high school in the state by U.S. News & World Report in 2024. The school district received an overall grade of an A from Niche. Its ratings for sports, extracurricular activities, resources and administration were particularly high. Its lowest performance was in the diversity area. Clayton attributed the high rating largely to great teachers, who work to develop themselves. He said the community has also come to know HCS for having high standards for staff and students. "The worst thing you can do to a kid is have low expectations of them because I always say a kid will rise to whatever the expectation is, or they will fall to whatever the expectation is," Clayton said. One specific area where HCS has focused its growth efforts over the last school year was adhering to the Alabama Numeracy Act, which sought to improve elementary-level math proficiency. The school district brought in math coaches to help improve students' mathematical understanding. Clayton anticipates Holly Sutherland, the new superintendent, who will have taken over the role completely by the end of the month, will continue to aspire to meet the community's expectations of the school. Athens City Schools also received an overall grade of an A. The areas it performed the best in were extracurricular offerings, diversity and college prep. Its lowest performance was in the teachers area. ACS has been on the rise from previous years. A ranking released by Niche in 2023 has it listed as No. 25. "This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to academic excellence, high-quality teaching, college and career readiness, and community," said Athens City Schools Superintendent Beth Patton. "We take great pride in being a progressive system that empowers our students for future success." Patton said that the school system feels honored by its ranking from Niche. — or 256-340-2437
The Print
27-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
Days after UPSC refused elevation to IAS, 2 ‘charge-sheeted' HCS officers get plum posts in Haryana
Vatsal Vashisht, previously the Secretary of the Haryana Right to Service Commission, was named the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC)-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer in Gurugram. The decision has raised eyebrows as it comes just days after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) returned the state government's promotion recommendations for these officers on 22 May, following advice from the Solicitor General. New Delhi: In a major administrative reshuffle announced late Monday night, the Haryana government has appointed two charge-sheeted Haryana Civil Service (HCS) officers as additional deputy commissioners (ADCs), administrative positions generally held by IAS officers. Jag Niwas, formerly the CEO of Zila Parishad and District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), was appointed ADC-cum-District Citizen Resources Information Officer in Jhajjar. Vashisht and Niwas are among eight HCS officers charge-sheeted in 2023 for alleged irregularities in their 2002 appointments. A senior officer in the Haryana government, however, said there was no irregularity in the posting of HCS officers as additional deputy commissioners. 'Besides them, one officer of the 2003 batch and another of the 2004 batch have also been appointed ADCs. Of the 22 districts of Haryana, seven (including four posted today) are HCS officers,' the officer said. The government, according to the officer, was in the process of sending a reply to the UPSC's communication. The latest appointments, detailed in an official order issued by Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, were among the transfers and postings of 41 IAS and HCS officers across various administrative roles in the state. Dr. Sarita Malik, another officer implicated in the 2023 charge sheet, has been transferred from her role as Special Secretary to the Government in the Public Health Engineering Department to the Secretary of the Haryana Right to Service Commission, replacing Vashisht. On 22 May, the UPSC rejected the Haryana government's proposal to promote 27 HCS officers, including Vatsal Vashisht, Jag Niwas, and Dr. Sarita Malik, to the IAS cadre. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had filed a charge sheet in July 2023, naming the eight officers—Veena Hooda, Surender Singh, Jagdeep Dhanda, Dr. Sarita Malik, Kamlesh Bhadoo, Kuldhir Singh, Vatsal Vashisht and Jag Niwas—along with former Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) functionaries, accusing them of irregularities that favoured ineligible candidates. Other notable transfers include 2022 IAS batch Ankit Kumar Chouksey from Badshahpur to Jhajjar as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), and 2022 IAS batch Shashvat Sangwan from Naraingarh to Barara. Among HCS officers, Vivek Padam Singh (1997 batch) has been appointed Controller of Printing & Stationery and Special Secretary, while Sushil Kumar (2003 batch) transitions from Kaithal to Mahendragarh as ADC, and Satbir Singh (2004 batch) has been posted as ADC at Faridabad. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: For Haryanvi YouTubers, Pakistan is an ancestral pilgrimage. Jyoti Malhotra isn't alone
Indian Express
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Haryana to ‘push again' for promotion of 27 HCS officers to IAS after UPSC returns file
Days after the Union Public Service Commission returned a Haryana government proposal for the elevation of 27 Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, senior officials have indicated that 'the state government will give it another shot, factoring in concerns raised by the Commission'. The state government sent the proposal to the UPSC in March, seeking promotions to 27 HCS officers of 2002, 2003 and 2004 batches to the IAS officers, but the Commission returned the proposal, pointing out 'pending chargesheets' against eight of the 2002 batch HCS officers, Haryana government sources said. In 2023, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed a chargesheet in a Hisar court, alleging irregularities in the recruitment of the 2002 batch of HCS officers, impeding the promotion of several HCS officers for the past few years. However, on Monday, a Haryana government officer said, 'The UPSC has only returned the proposal, but has not taken a final call on it.' Indicating that 'the proposal will be sent again' to the UPSC, the officer said, 'The matter is under consideration to put up a fresh proposal before the chief minister for his approval.' The state has three vacancies for the 2020 batch, four for the 2021 batch, eight for the 2022 batch, 10 for the 2023 batch and two for the 2024 batch. Following a legal opinion, the state government conveyed to the UPSC in March that 'the term chargesheet cannot be construed as the final form/report submitted under section 173 of the CrPC'. After examining the matter, the UPSC decided to take a legal opinion from the Department of Legal Affairs, and subsequently, the Solicitor General gave his opinion to the commission on May 11. The Solicitor General did not agree with the state government's opinion that a 'chargesheet cannot be constructed as the final report under section 173 C-PC'. 'All the cases where the report under section 173 CrPC is filed, it would be treated as filing of the chargesheets as stipulated in 'Regulations 5 (5) of the lAS Regulations, 1955,' the Solicitor General opined. The Solicitor General also mentioned, 'Section 173 is the stage at which the investigation is complete subject to further investigation which can be conducted under section 173(8) of the code… the term 'chargesheet' is not defined in the CrPc, it is used as a legally acceptable expression for the report under section 173 of the code. In some states, it is also called 'challan'. It is this chargesheet which is contemplated in Regulation 5/5/ of the lAS Regulation, 1955. This is clear from the judgment of the Supreme Court in Gurpreet Singh Bhullar & another versus Union Of India & Others. There are other judicial pronouncements on the subject, also. However, with the issue being well settled, it may not be necessary to multiply the citations.' Given the SG's opinion, the UPSC requested the state government to examine the case and furnish the amended relevant documents so that the proposals for the select lists of 2020 to 2024 are processed further. Another Haryana government officer said, 'The Solicitor General's opinion will be taken into account while drafting a fresh proposal for the promotion of HCS officers.' Earlier, opposing the proposal for the promotion of 2002-batch HCS officers, Congress leader and former minister Karan Singh Dalal in March had sent a letter to the President, seeking her intervention into the matter. In December 2023 too, he had sent a letter to the UPSC chairman, 'opposing' the proposal for the promotion of these officers, adding that the ACB had found the selection of HCS officers of the 2002 batch to be 'tainted'. 'They were also chargesheeted for several offences, including forgery, cheating and corruption. They have been summoned by a Hisar court and are also facing trial,' Dalal had stated. A former MLA from Palwal, Dalal had earlier challenged the 2002 selection process in the Punjab and Haryana High Court when 86 candidates were selected by the HPSC during the Indian National Lok Dal government's tenure. The court had found irregularities in the selection process of 38 candidates and ordered the state Vigilance Bureau (now ACB) to examine the entire case. Dalal had also taken up the issue to the Supreme Court.
Indian Express
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Haryana introduces model online transfer policy to ensure fairness, transparency across govt cadres
The Haryana government has notified a 'Model Online Transfer Policy' to ensure fair, transparent, and efficient employee transfers across government cadres to enhance administrative efficiency and job satisfaction through a merit-based online system. Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi issued the notification on Friday, marking the withdrawal of all previous transfer policies, including the General Principles for Online Transfers (2020) and related departmental notifications. The policy covers employees in cadres with 50 or more sanctioned posts, excluding All India Services, Haryana Civil Services (Executive Branch), and Allied Services, unless exempted by the Human Resource Department (HRD). 'Smaller cadres with fewer than 50 posts may be included at the competent authority's discretion. All cadre posts, including positions at headquarters, are part of the transfer drive. Within 15 days of notification, departments must publish a list of covered cadres, specifying Prescribed Tenure, Minimum Tenure, and Unit, with provisions for periodic revisions with HRD approval,' the policy mentions. According to the policy, 'The post allocations shall be based on a composite merit score out of 80 points. Age contributes up to 60 points, calculated as age in days divided by 365 (up to four decimal points). For example, a 40-year-old employee scores approximately 40 points. Up to 20 points are awarded for special circumstances: 10 points for all female employees; 10 points for female employees who are unmarried and over 40, widows, divorced, or judicially separated; 10 points for male employees who are divorced, widowers with minor children, or judicially separated with minor children; 5 points for employees whose spouses work in State or Central Government if the transfer reduces posting distance; 10 points for spouses of military or paramilitary personnel; 10 points for employees or their immediate family with debilitating disorders (certified by authorized medical boards like AIIMS or PGI Chandigarh); 10 points for those with 100 per cent differently-abled or mentally challenged children; and up to 20 points for employees with disabilities under the RPWD Act 2016, based on disability percentage starting from 40 per cent.' Apart from this, an employee who has been awarded a major penalty under the HCS (Punishment & Appeal) Rules, 2016, will invite a penalty of '-10 (minus 10) marks' during the currency of the punishment. The policy supports employees with personal challenges such as women, those with medical conditions, or disabled children, enhancing access to preferred postings. Departments must comply with the 15-day deadline, and employees should ensure documentation like medical certificates. Employees may file grievances within 15 days of order issuance, but only after joining at the new place of posting. Complaints must be submitted through and will be addressed within the same time frame. The Chief Minister retains the authority to relax or modify provisions in the public interest or administrative exigency. The Human Resources Department will also be the final authority on clarifications. General online transfers will be made preferably once a year. However, transfer/posting necessitated by promotion, direct recruitment or administrative exigencies can be made anytime with the prior approval of the CM. 'The department will undertake rationalisation to redistribute or ascertain the number of posts in any unit based on administrative requirements and efficiency. This entire stage will be completed within 15 days. Within the first seven days, the department will undertake the preliminary rationalisation exercise. There may be a possibility that the number of employees posted in any unit is in excess of the administrative requirement. Such surplus employees will be required to participate in the ongoing transfer drive. Amongst such surplus employees, the employee with the longest stay shall have to participate in the transfer drive. In the case where more than one employee has the same period of stay, then the younger employee shall have to participate in the transfer drive. Further surplus employees, who belong to the Protected Category shall not be transferred without their consent subject to the condition that not more than 50 per cent of such excess employees in that unit belong to the Protected Category,' a government spokesperson explained.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Horry County Schools addresses fiery TikTok trend
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A TikTok challenge centered on students damaging their school-issued computers has made its way to Horry County Schools. The 'Chromebook Challenge' only began a few weeks ago, but has likely taken up your kids' TikTok feed. Kids film themselves, or others, sticking objects like paper clips or pencils into their Chromebook's USB port. It's done on purpose to create a short and cause smoke inside the classroom. Horry County Schools said it's aware of the challenge and have already had a few situations inside middle schools. 'We have had a couple of incidents of that a couple of weeks ago,' Lisa Bourcier, HCS spokesperson, said. 'Nothing recently and not a lot. But we do consider it vandalism and the instances that we have, we were fortunate not to have any fire or evacuations from those.' HCS said participating in the trend can cause serious consequences for both the student and parent, including up to three days of out of school suspension and law enforcement involvement for vandalism and fees. 'We are holding parents responsible; financially responsible for repairs of the computers or reimbursement of the computers if it's a complete loss, and that can be upwards of almost $700 per device,' Bourcier said. Other school districts have had to evacuate school buildings after a Chromebook burst into flames, causing major disruptions. Bourcier said many principals have already sent out emails to parents about this. Phil Jackson said his kids would face major consequences if they participated and would make his kids pay the fees. 'Look, to damage school property and for something like this and inserting objects into a Chromebook, it's senseless,' Jackson said. 'So, if there's any kids out there listening, stop doing it.' News13 spoke to HCS superintendent Clifford Jones after a community event Wednesday who said destruction of property is not allowed. The district encourages parents to talk to their kids about the consequences this trend will bring. 'Yeah, it's a trend, but it's not a good trend, it's not something that you want to be doing,' Jackson said. * * * Adrianna Lawrence is a multimedia journalist at News13. Adrianna is originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joined the News13 team in June 2023 after graduating from Virginia Commonwealth University in May 2023. Keep up with Adrianna on Instagram, Facebook, and X, formerly Twitter. You can also read more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
