The Martinsville School Board has a long list of suggested policies to vote on Monday, including rules regarding weapons at school, digital access and extracurricular activities.
Board members will also learn about summer meal program plans.
The board will convene at 6 p.m. in the school board office, 746 Indian Trail.
Policy proposals to get reviews, votes
Board members will be asked to approve the following policies recommended by the Virginia School Boards Association:
- Weapons, drugs: One policy would prohibit weapons and dangerous devices on school property and buses and at school-sponsored events. Its definition of “weapon” includes guns, BB guns, toy guns, knives, explosives, brass or metal knuckles, blackjacks, flailing instruments, fighting stars and other items. It would require officials to report illegal conduct to law enforcement, provide violation penalties of up to a year of expulsion and add disciplinary procedures and protections for students with disabilities.
Another policy would require the school division to notify parents and guardians within the first 30 days of the school year regarding the importance of securely storing prescription drugs and the responsibility to safely store firearms at home.
- Extracurricular activities: The draft policy would prohibit using social media as the sole means of communication with students about extracurricular activities. It would allow use of division-approved communication or messaging applications, would require written guidelines for any exceptions and would allow the superintendent to revoke exceptions.
- Digital access: The policy would require that school technology be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Among other points, it would ensure equivalent access to information and services for all users, require vendors to certify that their products meet accessibility standards and authorize the designation of a digital accessibility coordinator.
- Academic planning: The policy would ensure that students and parents get information and support for academic planning, course selection, graduation requirements, college readiness and career preparation.
- College planning: One policy would require annual distribution of college financial aid information to high school students and parents or guardians, including guidance on financial aid programs and requirements. It sets a five-year goal to increase aid application completion rates.
Another policy requires schools to give eligible high school students the opportunity to take a college entrance assessment, such as the SAT or PSAT, during a regular school day and requires testing to be offered at the student’s school.
- Staff resignation: The policy requires resigning employees to return school property by their last work day, clarifies that confidential and proprietary information must be returned, and authorizes charging employees for the cost of replacing items that are not returned.
Summer meals, federal grant pursuit to be discussed
Other notable agenda items include:
- Summer food: School nutrition services director Sheilah Williams will provide information on the division’s summer meal programs.
The school division is offering direct-to-home summer meal kits to all youth 18 and under, even if they are not enrolled in city schools. Families will begin receiving weekly meal kits the week of June 28. Each will include seven shelf-stable breakfasts, seven lunches and milk. The deadline for registration is 3 p.m. Tuesday. Children registered for meal kits are not eligible to get meals at summer feeding sites on days when meals are delivered to their homes. Families with questions can call 276-638-3005.
Also, the division will provide free breakfast and lunch to students 18 and under at Albert Harris Elementary, Patrick Henry Elementary, Clearview Early Learning Center, Martinsville Middle and Martinsville High. No registration is required. Meal times will vary. For more information, call 276-403-5800.
- Grant pursuit: The board will be asked to approve a roughly $1.77 million grant application through the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The funding would be used as follows: $1.44 million toward improving academic achievement among disadvantaged students; nearly $169,500 toward training and recruiting high-quality principals and teachers; about $97,800 for student support and academic enrichment programs; and nearly $61,600 targeted in the law “to provide low-income children living in rural areas with a high-quality and comprehensive educational program to meet their unique needs and help them obtain the same challenging state academic content and student achievement standards that are expected of all children.”
You can find meeting documents at https://go.boarddocs.com/va/martinsville/Board.nsf/Public#.
