School News

School committee discusses options for summer school programs, alternative ed & arts

by Kate Evans

The Morgan County Schools strategic planning and curriculum and instruction committees met recently and discussed a variety of topics, including county strategic plan goals, cell phone policies, the arts, summer school enrollment and bringing back the summer Energy Express program.

At the September 24 Morgan County Schools strategic planning committee meeting, Superintendent David Banks shared the 2024-2025 county strategic plan and its goals.  Plan strategies and action steps were also discussed, according to the committee’s minutes.

Cell phone policy

Banks also discussed cell phone policies including Morgan County Schools Personal Electronics Device Policy along with examples of other counties’ cell phone policies such as Berkeley and Monongalia Counties and the cell phone policy for the state of Virginia.

Banks said that Morgan County’s cell phone policy was the least restrictive of the examples, with the Morgan County policy allowing the principal and teacher to restrict usage as needed in their schools/classrooms.

The other examples had larger district guidelines involved.  The cell phone discussion will continue at the November strategic planning committee meeting.

Return of Energy Express

Tina Cannon, Federal Programs and Grant Administration Coordinator, brought the committee a proposal to bring back the Energy Express program to Morgan County Schools to supplement the current summer program.  Energy Express would allow students to be at school for a full day while getting breakfast and lunch too.

Cannon will look into how Energy Express could fit with the state-required Science of Reading summer program and report back to the committee in November, when a decision will be made.

Alternative education

Berkeley Springs High School Principal Mitch Nida updated committee members on the high school alternative education program.  Some 20 students are enrolled in the program.  Alternative education students have completed a combined 30 classes/courses within the first month of school, Nida said.

Each student has met the daily goal work percentage and their weekly goal work percentage.  There have been minimal referrals.  All students are working quickly to get caught up and graduate with their cohort.

Curriculum and instruction

The Morgan County Schools curriculum and instruction committee met on September 25 and also discussed cell phone policies as reflected in the strategic planning committee meeting.

Berkeley Springs High School Assistant Principal Brian Raciborski offered his services and expertise to help coordinate arts programming throughout the school system in hopes of promoting the arts in other schools and increasing interest and participation in arts activities across the district.

Committee members encouraged him to work closely with the Morgan Arts Council and intermediate school art teacher Marianna Ruggiero, who also coordinates programs with county agencies.

Summer program

Superintendent David Banks talked with the curriculum and instruction committee about summer school enrollment and expressed his concerns that many students that were targeted for reading intervention didn’t attend. Due to a lack of funding from the state for the required program, Morgan County had to cut the program to half a day.

A full day would be a better option for parents and childcare and kids would also get lunch, Banks noted.  Options for a full-day program. are needed.  Tina Cannon said she would be getting more information for the Energy Express Program and would bring it back to the committee in November.

Curriculum activities

Secondary Education Director Beth Golden updated the curriculum and instruction committee on the Instructional Empowerment Initiative including Rigor Walkthroughs and areas of focus for Berkeley Springs High School and Warm Springs Middle School.

Superintendent Banks said that Warm Springs Intermediate School will be doing a pilot professional learning module to more deeply understand math standards.

Banks informed the committee that the beginning of the year benchmark data would be discussed at the October 15 board meeting.

Facebook

Weather

BERKELEY SPRINGS WEATHER