Stephens County — For the Stephens County School System, a Southern Association of Colleges and Schools visit should be business as usual, according to officials.

The Stephens system is due for a re-accreditation visit this school year from representatives of the association, the group that accredits schools across the United States.

While thorough, the visit should not require too much extra work from teachers or students, said Sherri Whiten, Stephens County assistant superintendent.

“Really, it is not a lot of extra work, because the school improvement process we use is ongoing,” Whiten said. “So we feel really confident about having these folks in our schools for two days, because this is something we do and that we have done regularly for the past couple of years.”

Whiten said an accreditation-related visit involves a look at all aspects of the educational system.

“They talk to everyone,” she said. “They talk to faculty and all school personnel. They talk to parents and students. They actually will have a schedule where they are in every single classroom at some point during their two-day visit.”

The Stephens re-accreditation visit should take place after the first of the year. School systems are required to seek re-accreditation every five years through the Southern Association.