The Shadow
LOW MOOR Va. (VR) – The Alleghany Highlands School Board gathered on Sept. 16 at 6 p.m. for their regularly scheduled monthly meeting. There was a large crowd on hand to take part in local Government and become better informed about what is happening within Alleghany Highlands Public Schools. The board members were all in attendance, even Danielle Morgan who got approval to attend the meeting by phone.
The first item on the agenda was the “instructional spotlight” which highlights instructional techniques used within the school system. This
meeting’s display was presented by a team from Jeter Watson Elementary School and showcased students’ math skills. Teachers Courtney Crawford and Amber McNown led first through fourth graders in a math teaching technique called “number talks.” Which teaches students how to reason with numbers and build connections to key conceptual ideas in Mathematics. The students were very well taught in the concept and were quite impressive as they answered math questions posed by their teachers.
The board then unanimously agreed to allow students to go on upcoming field trips. Among the approved trips were: CMS students who were approved to go to Richmond and Williamsburg from Oct. 25 through Oct. 26; AHS Cross Country was approved for a trip to Williamsburg from Oct. 19 through Oct. 20; and AHS Seniors were approved for a trip to Williamsburg also on Oct. 19 and 20.
The next item on the agenda was to approve the draft board budget calendar for the 2025-2026 school year. Kit sets the date of Jan. 21 for a public hearing on the upcoming budget. All board members approved of the proposed date of the public hearing and the motion carried.
Next, everyone in attendance heard a report about the Jackson River Governor School. It’s one of 19 Governors schools in Virginia and it serves the Alleghany Highlands, Bath, Botetourt, and Buena Vista City Schools and is a partnership with Mountain Gateway Community College. Since the last hearing report, they have increased student credits to 41. They have also added a student success skills class to prepare students to thrive in their college schoolwork. They are happy to report that 78% of their students have a higher than 3.0 GPA, and 50% have a GPA higher than 3.5. Also on hand at the meeting was a current student, James Ross who is in his second year at the school. He gave high praise to the Governor’s school and its benefits to him or anyone as a student trying to prepare for college.
The board then went on to discuss a resolution dealing with the horrors of bullying. October is bully prevention month. Bullying has become an ever-increasing issue of importance. Upwards of 20% of students deal with bullying in one form or another either as a bully or the child being bullied. This resolution’s approval meant that bullying would be discussed and a plan to combat bullying behavior would be implemented in Alleghany Highlands classrooms. The motion was approved by the entire board and carried.
The board also approved a resolution declaring September as school attendance awareness month to help students develop a healthier attitude towards school and gain a sense of belonging in the classroom rather than a fear of being penalized for their attendance shortcomings.
During last month’s meeting, a recommendation was made to create a board committee to help with the growing number of policy revisions that are being made to the code at the state level. Chairman John Littleton agreed that such a committee would be beneficial for everyone involved. Jonathan Arritt agreed and said the committee would help Alleghany County stay ahead of the curve where these changes are concerned. Due to some opposition over the possible financial ramifications of having to run the policy changes by an attorney before being signed. motion was made and carried tabling the discussion for another date and time.
Upon tabling those talks, a proposal was made to appoint a representative to the School Health Advisory Board for the 2024-2025 school year. Morgan served as a representative last year and was praised as being “A great asset to the team” Morgan called her experience serving on the board a pleasure and was more than happy to serve on it again if asked. It came as no surprise when a motion was made and carried unanimously to appoint Morgan to serve as a representative on the School Health Board once again.
Sheriff Kyle Moore took the podium to recognize and thank the board for working with and supporting the changes made at the beginning of the school year when it was decided that they should rotate the county’s School resource officers. The Sheriff said he has gotten nothing but positive feedback concerning that decision. Upon giving a large round of applause for the work that the county School Resource Officers provide for the safety of Alleghany Highlands Schools the board heard a proposition to give a raise to $30 an hour to staff members providing extra services to students such as afterschool teachers, drivers education teachers, alternative education teachers and so on. It was stated that this raise would allow the school system to be more competitive compared to other area schools. The motion was carried with full approval.
There were a couple more resolutions approved dealing with small revisions to the wording of the policy. The board also took a few minutes to thank everyone involved and the arduous work they put forth every day to make the school system operate smoothly, they understand enough credit is seldom given for their efforts but want them to know their hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed. Chairman Littleton recognized Jerome Johnson for his hard work and the extra hours he’s devoted to being the voice of the Cougars. He does an incredible job following the football team and keeping everyone informed about how both home and away games are going. He goes beyond the call of duty each week and the board thanked him for his devotion. After all the board’s members gave their final remarks Chairperson Littleton adjourned the meeting.
The Alleghany Highlands School Board will meet on Oct. 21 for their next regularly scheduled meeting.
