The Demopolis Board of Education added a new policy to the system’s handbook Monday night in addition to approving several overnight travel requests for different clubs and teams.

The board added a policy pertaining to service animals, as they are growing in popularity. The new policy allows for a service dog for a child with a physical disability that requires the assistance of the dog.

The board also voted to amend the coaching agreements for the 2015-2016 school year to compensate coaches on a monthly basis.

“If an individual doesn’t fulfill their responsibilities as a coach, this would allow them to only be paid through the time they were coaching,” Superintendent Al Griffin said. “If they were paid a sum on the front end, it will also allow us to garnish the wages of the time not completed.”

In other business, the board approved the following overnight travel requests:

•Overnight and out-of-state travel for DHS DECA to attend the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., on April 23-28

•Overnight travel for DHS track to attend track meets in Mobile on April 24 and in Gulf Shores on April 29 to May 1

•Overnight and out-of-state travel for DHS trip to Washington, D.C., on April 16-20

•Overnight and out-of-state travel for DHS HOSA to Anaheim, Calif., to attend the National Leadership Conference on June 23-28

The board also approved the following personnel recommendations from Griffin:

•Hire Sherron Brown for Westside Elementary School’s bookkeeper position

•Accept retirement of Deborah Brown, a DMS sixth-grade teacher, effective May 22

•Accept retirement of Sandra Seale, a WES second-grade teacher, effective June 1

•Accept retirement of Stella Hughes, a CNP at Westside, effective May 22

“We want to welcome Sherron and wish the others well in their retirement,” Griffin said. “They will certainly be missed.”

The board went into executive session following the regular meeting to discuss the good name and character of personnel. Griffin said the “minutes will be drafted in a couple of days” to get specifics from action taken following the executive session.