Prince William County Public Schools

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    • November 28, 2018

    Board Briefs
    • December 3, 2018

    Board Briefs Meeting Summary banner
    School Board Meeting of November 28, 2018

    View the agenda on the Electronic School Board webpage.
    Watch the School Board meeting on PWCS-TV.

    Positively PWCS:

    Each School Board meeting begins with presentations about the good things that our schools are accomplishing. These presentations are intended to focus on how we are preparing our students academically and socially for success in college and careers.

    • Mary Riker, a teacher at Fred Lynn Middle School, shared a video of middle school student Danny taking his 3,000th step since this school year began. Danny uses a gait trainer to walk, and set his 3,000 step goal for the 2018-19 school year, and has already surpassed it. Danny's next goal is to walk 4,000 feet by Christmas.

    The School Board Approved:

    Citizen Comments:

    There were no citizens who addressed the School Board during the meeting.

    Student Matters:

    • Sasan Faraj, student representative, visited Patriot and Gar-Field High Schools recently. Discussions about school dress codes carried over from his previous Woodbridge and Potomac High School visits.
    • Sasan noted that students often feel unaware of some of the resources their school has to offer, such as who the school social worker is.
    • Gar-Field students showed interest in updating the school's water fountains to include water bottle filing stations.
    • Wilfredo Villatoro, alternate student representative, summarized that his visits with student leadership classes have addressed concerns with school lunch options, dress code, and mental health issues.
    • Students have expressed interest in more transparency about policies, such as how the money raised through parking fees at high schools is used.
    • Wilfredo added that he and Sasan recently attended a mental health discussion held at the Kelly Leadership Center and they both felt that the discussion was very helpful and productive.

    Staff Presentation Topics:

    • Chairman At-Large, Dr. Lateef, presented School Board members and the Superintendent with Virginia School Boards Association (VSBA) awards earned through participation in the VSBA School Board Academy.
      • Gil Trenum, Lillie Jessie, Diane Raulston, Ayson Satterwhite, Loree Williams, and Superintendent Dr. Walts each earned awards of achievement.

    Superintendent's Time:

    • Tonight, I want to provide an update on the implementation of the recommendations highlighted last May in the Comprehensive Review of Special Education.
      • The 24 recommendations have been reviewed and various stakeholders, including the Special Education Advisory Council, have provided input on the prioritization.
      • We have begun to address each of the recommendations.
      • I mentioned at a previous School Board meeting that we added an assistive technology coordinator position this year to extend the capacity of the Division's assistive technology programming.
    • Our commitment to improving the achievement of students with disabilities is reflected in the following priority responses:
      • A focus on training teachers in using multisensory and explicit reading instructional strategies;
      • Professional development on the important connection between IEP goals and the Standards of Learning; and
      • The purchase and implementation of a multisensory K-12 math program, a curriculum for students who participate in the Virginia Alternate Assessment Program, and a social skills program that adapts to the needs of each student.
    • Prince William County Public Schools has been invited to become a founding member of the Digital Learning Collaborative. This consortium is a membership group of 24 organizations including school districts, state agencies, non-profit organizations, and companies. It is a resource and clearinghouse for information about online, blended, and digital learning. We received this invitation based on the outstanding reputation of Virtual High School @ PWCS.
    • I am proud to share that the November issue of Prince William Living Magazine featured an outstanding story on our Career and Technical Education program. I would like to thank Prince William Living for spotlighting CTE under the exemplary leadership of Supervisor Doug Wright and his team.
    • Congratulations to John Dutton, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Beville Middle School. The Prince William County Poet Laureate Circle and the Prince William Arts Council presented Mr. Dutton with a special project trophy for his poetry events entitled "Spilled Ink."
    • I enjoyed attending the 50th anniversary of Bel Air Elementary School, especially looking back at how things have changed in 50 years.
    • I also attended Victory Elementary School's outstanding tribute to veterans. I join all our schools to say "thank you" to veterans for serving our country and protecting our freedoms.

    Policies:

    • The vote on adoption of of revised Policy 134 (PDF), "Citizen Participation," and deletion of former Policy 133, "Citizen Comment" and Regulation 133.1, "Procedures for Citizen Participation" has been moved to the next meeting.

    First Readings - No action is required on first readings.

    • Adoption of Policy 156 (PDF), "School Board Referral of Complaints Regarding Employees," and deletion of former Policy 156;
    • Deletion of former Policy 157 (PDF), "Copyright," and Regulation 157-1, "Copyright," from the 100 Series and move to the 200 Series of the Policy Manual as Policy 291 and Regulation 291-1;
    • Adoption of new Policy 157 (PDF), "Prince William County School Board/Staff Communications," and deletion of former Policy 103, "Prince William County School Board/Staff Communications";
    • Adoption of revised and renamed Policy 161 (PDF), "Office of Division Counsel," and deletion of former Regulation 161-1, "Division Counsel";
    • Adoption of revised and renamed Policy 170 (PDF), "Committees, Advisory Boards, Task Forces, and Councils," and deletion of Regulation 170-1, "Committees and Councils"; and
    • Deletion of Policy 180 (PDF), "Professional Associations".

    School Board Meeting Information:

    Individuals who wish to address the School Board under Citizens' Time should notify the Board Clerk in writing at P.O. Box 389, Manassas, VA 20108; by phone at 703-791-8709; or by email at pwcsclerk@pwcs.edu prior to noon on the day of the Board meeting and will be placed on the list of speakers. Or, individuals may also sign onto the list of speakers maintained at the entrance to the School Board meeting room at the beginning of a regular Board meeting, but prior to 6:55 p.m. on the evening of the meeting. Please provide your name, address, phone number, and topic you would like to speak about. Any deviation from these procedures shall be at the discretion of the Chairman. All speakers must provide the School Board Clerk with their address and phone number in order to verify their residency and permit the Clerk to contact them if necessary. Upon request, the Clerk will not release to the public the address and phone number of the speaker.