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Tyler County Board of Education Approves Requests

By Staff | Nov 30, 2016

Editor’s Note: The school spirit banner “build the wall” was removed in recent days from that spot near the TCHS entrance.

MIDDLEBOURNE – Judy Hamrick voiced her concerns about how the “build the wall” sign located near the high school’s front entrance gives a bad impression of the county during a recent Tyler County Board of Education meeting.

“By doing nothing, we are expressing that the sign is acceptable in nature and that we are giving the wrong message,” Hamrick said during the Nov. 21 meeting.

The administration advised Hamrick that the sign is not on school property and the property owner as well as school officials have advised students not to display signs by the front entrance.

Hamrick said visiting schools are given a bad impression when they see these signs hanging in front of the school entrance. She said students chant “build the wall” while walking down the hallways, so teachers need to be more proactive to temper this type of speech.

In other news, Superintendent Robin Daquilante gave a report about the A to F grades the county recently received from the state Department of Education. She said there has been much controversy about the statewide results and there have been appeals granted to other schools over the results. Daquilante said the bell curve on which the counties were graded was lopsided and did not show the entirety of what goes on in the school systems. Tyler county shows several low test scores. Daquilante said she wants to make sure that teachers do not feel let down or personally responsible for these results. There will be a more detailed meeting in December to further discuss the outcome and where to proceed from here, she said.

The administration has made requested $4.4 million from the state School Building Authority for improvements to the HVAC including new pipes, new boilers, new chillers, and new digital controls. The school district will learn whether or not the request was granted by Dec. 12.

The following trip requests were granted:

Sistersville Police Department was approved for the use of a school bus and bus driver to transport 10 to 12 students who are participating in the “Shop with a Cop” program at the New Martinsville Walmart in December.

The date is to be announced and parental permission will be required. Principal Krista DeVaughn will be riding the bus with the students to and from Walmart.

Erica Shirer, Katrina Thomas, and Amy Klug (SES preschool teachers) were granted permission to use buses for transporting students on Dec. 6 to the Grand Central Mall in Parkersburg. The trip will be chaperoned.

A request was granted to allow Gwendolyn Jacenkiw a leave of absence for educational purposes between Dec. 2 and Dec. 12.

Don Stokes and the Elks lodge #333 were granted permission to use the Sistersville Elementary School gymnasium between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Dec. 11 for a youth community “Hoop Shoot.”

A motion was made and passed to transfer Abby Jo Robinson from Second-grade Teacher at Arthur I Boreman Elementary School to English/Language Arts Teacher at Tyler Consolidated Middle School effective August 8, 2017.

Steven Smith was hired as a substitute bus driver while Mitch Nichols was approved as the wrestling coach at Tyler Consolidated Middle School. Both hires are effective immediately.

The next board meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday Dec. 5 at the Tyler County Board of Education Office in Middlebourne.