Horry County will have a second charter school beginning in the 2010-11 school year, according to a decision by school officials Monday.

The Horry County Board of Education also voted Monday to table a proposal to change the district's system for recognizing high school honor graduates.

The decisions came during a meeting of the school board Monday night.

The board unanimously approved the application for a second charter school in the county, the Palmetto Academy of Learning and Success.

The state's Charter School Advisory Committee already had certified that the application meets requirements, and when the Horry County School Board did not meet within the state deadline to consider whether to accept the application, it was accepted by default.

Board member Joe DeFeo said he was concerned that the school's policies adhere to state law.

``I want assurances that they are going to accept every student that applies _ first come, first serve,'' said DeFeo before the meeting.

A charter school, by state law, is a public school subject to fewer regulations. It must admit any student eligible for enrollment in public schools as long as space is available. Limited space may cause admittance to be determined by a lottery system, said Charter Committee co-chair Courtney Fancher.

``It's going to open another educational opportunity for parents. Horry County is a great school system; we're glad to be a part of that system,'' said Fancher.

Also Monday, the board considered implementing the Latin honors system for high school graduates. The system would feature three levels based on weighted grade-point average: summa cum laude, magna cum laude and cum laude.

Horry County school board Chairman Will Garland expressed reservations about the plan, saying that he didn't want to discourage competition.

``I hate to go away from the traditional recognition of valedictorian and salutatorian. I don't see why the two [recognition systems] are mutually exclusive,'' he said.

But Cindy Elsberry, district superintendent, said the proposal was made to end ``an unhealthy climate of competition.'' Velna Allen, principal of Carolina Forest High School, spoke of a parent two years ago attempting to learn the school's highest averages. He sought a school where his daughter would be valedictorian, Allen said. The new system was designed to discourage strategies that focus on competition over academics, according to Britton.

The board voted to defer a decision until its Aug. 17 meeting.

``Just like changing any tradition, it comes with some discomfort,'' Britton said.