The Sedalia School District 200 Board of Education has told junior high students to “Play Ball!”, approving a plan to expand baseball and softball to grades seven and eight next spring.

The board signed off on the proposal presented by Smith-Cotton Junior High activities director Brian Foster at Monday night’s meeting. Supt. Dr Todd Fraley says the goal is to involve students in the district’s athletic programs sooner and develop future Tigers for the high school level.

The board also discussed the prospect of expanding the district’s basketball program to fifth and sixth grades, potentially adding four coaching positions.

A pair of donations were accepted at Monday night’s meeting by Sedalia’s school board. The Pettis County Health Department has donated traffic safety signs, including stop signs and crosswalk signs, as well as benches. Inter-State Studio has offered the of their auditorium space at no cost to the CAPS program at Smith-Cotton High School.