“The school board decided that the academic requirements for athletes and others participating in extracurricular activities merited some serious review. Currently, to participate in high school sports in this county, a student only has to maintain a “D” in his or her classes. That meets the state’s not-so-lofty requirement and means a 1.0 grade-point average is good enough to represent the school. That is simply too low. SCPS has set the goal of having every student college or career ready – a goal we heartily hail – and we know many athletes have ambitions about playing in college. But demanding a 1.0 GPA to participate does not allow a student to be close to readiness for anything, except perhaps to score a couple of touchdowns or net a hat trick in soccer for his or her high school team. That’s why we compliment the school board for deciding to take up what assuredly will be a controversial and painful topic.” Portions of an editorial backing the Shelby County Board of Education’s call for a study on student athletes’ academic eligibility rules. From the Shelbyville News Sentinel.
“Just think if they were able to spend 20-30 percent more of their time teaching. Not only are they going to be more effective as teachers, but then you’ve got volunteers coming in who may not know anything about teaching, but can feel significant and like a part of the team.” Montgomery County Schools Community Education Director Jeff Perkins on efforts to train the district’s 900 volunteers on selected academic topics with a goal of increasing their positive impact in the classroom. From the Mt. Sterling Advocate.
“The schools have to exhaust all of their remedies to truancy before it becomes an issue for involvement by DCBS (state Department of Community Based Services). We’re asking: can we get them involved before that?” Henry County Schools Director of Pupil Personnel Denise Perry testifying to the General Assembly’s juvenile code task force about roadblocks to the state agency and school districts collaborating to reduce student truancy. From the CNHI News Service.
“Only in Webster County can you get something for free and complain about it. It’s better than it was, and that’s all that matters to me.” Webster County school board member Steve Henry about continuing rumors about what will be done with the land and dirt after leveling a hill adjacent to the high school’s football field. From the Madisonville Surf News Group.
“We went from a dual-semester schedule to a tri-semester back to dual-semester. We’ve gone from one principal to an interim principal to a new principal. We have to have some consistency so that we can all focus. We’ve been so caught up in trying to address the state assessment changes that the ACT sort of took a back burner. In the end, we have to focus on ACT, end of course assessments and college and career readiness. It’s going to take the next five years to see if we’re making gains.” Marion County High School Principal Stacey Hall on the multitude of factors that contributed to a slight drop in the ACT scores of his school’s junior class. From the Lebanon Enterprise.
“I’ve had kids coming up to me, telling me I’m the swing vote tonight. That’s a shame, because I know they probably didn’t come to that conclusion on their own.” Adair County High School teacher and school council member Kevin Robertson on the panel’s 4-2 vote to reassign an agriculture teaching position to another academic unit. From the Columbia Adair Progress.
“If you just want to go green, good. But if you want to recoup costs, it’s something you need to seriously consider.” Jeff Frohlic, an engineering consultant to the Allen County Board of Education, on the pros and cons of using a process called “daylight harvesting” to provide electricity-free lighting at the district’s new technical center. From the Scottsville Citizen Times.