During the Lynchburg-Clay Board of Education’s meeting this week, board members discussed the ways virtual students will be supported. Board member Kristen Greenawalt asked superintendent Brett Justice, “What are we going to do for virtual students who begin to struggle?”
Justice told board members that students who are enrolled in the district’s virtual option and who begin struggling will still have support from staff members.
Lynchburg-Clay Elementary Principal Angela Godby added there will be “pods” of teaching staff for different groups of students, including intervention specialists for students with IEPs, who will support virtual students.
Godby reported there were around 102 elementary students enrolled in the school’s virtual option as of Monday.
Middle School Principal Casey Smith reported there were around 45 middle school students enrolled in the virtual option.
Justice reported there were 56 high school students enrolled in the virtual option.
Also during the meeting, board members, Justice and transportation supervisor Ryan Collins discussed the district’s need for substitute bus drivers. After Justice requested discussion for the issue, Collins indicated concern for the number of substitutes the district has been able to retain.
The board discussed incentives, such as pay increases and bonuses, that could help attract substitute drivers to the district. Board member Gary West recommended offering full-time substitute drivers the same starting rate permanent full-time bus drivers earn in their first year, even if the substitute drivers would not be driving every day.
Greenawalt said the board would need to conduct a comparison study on hourly pay for substitute bus drivers and calculate the incentives the district can afford to offer.
Board members and Collins also discussed the possibility of training coaches so they will be able to transport their student-athletes to sporting events.
As Lynchburg-Clay students return to school before the next board meeting, board members encouraged Collins to reach out to one substitute candidate who had indicated interest, though she was against entering school buildings at this time.
In other news from Lynchburg-Clay’s school board meeting:
* The Lynchburg-Clay Local School District will receive $406,000 for student wellness, which will help provide services in areas such as mental health and nursing for students, mental health professional development for district staff, and technology the district may need for these services. Last year, the district received $230,000 for student wellness.
* The district’s new athletic facility will be ready for teams by next week, Justice said. According to Justice, a crew installed the turf for the facility on Friday. After 10 days, the turf will be ready for students’ use. Justice also reported that the company that installed the Mondo rubber flooring in the facility waived a $3,000 charge for the glue required to install the flooring.
* Godby requested permission to remove formal grades for social studies and science from K-2 students’ grade cards as the subjects are embedded in language arts lessons for those students. The board gave her permission to do so. Godby said that even without these subjects on grade cards, the district would still meet standards for social studies and science for K-2 students; however, the students would not be formally assessed in those areas.
* Godby reported that the elementary school was hosting open houses on four consecutive nights beginning Monday. During the open houses, Godby said no more than two families were permitted to meet with teachers at a time. Only two adults were allowed to be present.
Godby said that due to the smaller numbers, teachers were able to spend more time with students and their families during the first night of open houses.
Smith reported that the middle school was only hosting an open house for sixth-grade students as seventh- and eighth-grade students were already more familiar with the building. Though Smith had to leave during the open house for the school board meeting, he added that only six to seven sixth-graders had not come to the open house by that time.
Reach McKenzie Caldwell at 937-402-2570.
