The Montgomery County School Board plans to vote Tuesday, March 3, on tougher penalties for students who possess a weapon on campus or at a school event.
The weapons policy change was on the board’s Feb. 17 meeting agenda, but was postponed.
The board also will hear a proposal on changing the middle school schedule and will vote on appropriating money for building safety upgrades and free student breakfasts.
The meeting will begin with a closed session at 6:30 p.m. to discuss student matters and a personnel matter. The regular session will begin at 7 p.m. The board will meet in the county government center, 755 Roanoke St., Christiansburg.
Students bringing firearms to school will face 365-day minimum expulsion
The board will vote on approving a new policy that was first reviewed Feb. 3.
The existing policy states that the school board “shall expel students” for possessing any weapon or firearm unless the board “determines, based upon the facts of the particular situation that special circumstances exist and another disciplinary action is appropriate.”
That language would be replaced with language stating that under state code section 22.1-277.07, subsections A and E, a student bringing a firearm to school or a school-sponsored activity “must be expelled for a minimum of 365 days.” It includes a new statement that violations will be reported to law enforcement.
The proposed new policy also would add a knife with a blade of more than three inches to the list of prohibited weapons.
Middle schoolers could face more instructional time with a goal of reaching ‘distinguished’ ranking
School board members will receive a proposal to change the middle school schedule to increase instructional time.
According to a presentation document, the county’s middle schools are the only level with no schools reaching the state Department of Education’s “distinguished” ranking for academic achievement. Two of the four middle schools also have federal designation for targeted support and intervention, specifically to address deficiencies in academic performance of students with disabilities.
Two scheduling issues are identified:
— In the morning, students generally arrive by 7:45 a.m., but first period begins at 8:05 a.m., leaving a significant gap of unstructured downtime.
— Class periods average 45 minutes, including a 26-minute intervention/enrichment period, but teachers and principals say that second block of time is not highly effective and students don’t get daily targeted instruction in more than one subject. Scheduling students for intervention/enrichment time is complex and time-consuming.
In a survey of middle school teachers, 41% said longer class periods would improve integration of intervention/enrichment. Another 24% said longer periods “likely would” improve integration.
The proposal is to change student arrival time from 7:35 a.m. to 7:25 a.m., with two options for starting the school day. Option one would begin the school day at 7:42 a.m., adding 23 more minutes of instructional time. Option two would begin the school day at 7:49 a.m., adding 16 more minutes of instructional time.
Snow guards, ceiling tiles and sinkholes: board will consider upgrades
The board will vote on asking the county Board of Supervisors to appropriate $495,500 for safety upgrades and building improvements. The money would come from interest income accrued from a bond for a Christiansburg High School project.
The proposed uses include:
— Ceiling renovation at Margaret Beeks Elementary School. According to meeting documents, “small amounts” of ceiling plaster are cracking in eight classrooms. Students were relocated for their safety in late January. The recommendation is to replace the ceilings with a metal grid and acoustic tile system, at an estimated cost of $90,000.
— Installation of snow guards at the school system’s Operations Center and at Kipps Elementary School. Documents state that there were unspecified “incidents” at those buildings during the area’s last snow event. Installing snow guards would prevent snow and ice from falling on people, vehicles or structures. The estimated cost is $33,500.
— Blacksburg High School sinkhole. A sinkhole on the property is in a stormwater drainage pathway, but it is not near structures or parking lots, according to documents, which state that it will only grow if it is not addressed. The first phase is to obtain multi-dimensional imagery of the subsurface, at an estimated cost of $9,000.
When asked, the school division declined to provide more details on the sinkhole and the snow incidents. In an email, Coordinator of Communications and Public Relations Andrew Webb wrote that the division wants the school board to receive and review the information first.
— Auburn Middle School and Shawsville Middle School gym light upgrades. According to documents, the current fluorescent lights are not up to par for sports and other activities. Replacing them with LED lighting will pay for itself within a year, the division predicts. The estimated cost is $6,000. Division staff will do the work.
— Phone system upgrades. According to documents, the division has recently experienced outages. The system is run from a single location; the proposal is to install individual phone appliances in each school and other buildings. The proposed upgrade would add features including automatic notification when a 911 call is placed; automated emergency alerts; and a wireless phone for career-technical education shops for emergencies. The estimated cost is $357,000.
Paying for free student breakfasts
The school board also will vote on a supplemental appropriation of nearly $275,000 to support providing a free student breakfast.
You can find meeting documents at https://go.boarddocs.com/vsba/mcps/Board.nsf/Public.
New superintendent’s final listening session Thursday
New schools Superintendent Kelly Guempel began work Feb. 1. He is the former chief of schools in Spotsylvania County.
Guempel has held several listening sessions to hear from the school community on these questions: What do people most value about the school district? What are the biggest issues or challenges? What needs to be addressed immediately? What are some things the schools do extremely well? What important traditions does he need to know about?
The final listening session will take place Thursday, March 5, at Price’s Fork Elementary School, beginning at 6 p.m.