“Countless Board members and West Virginia Department of Education staff members have worked tirelessly on the policy revisions,” said Board President Barbara Fish. “We all understand the impact this policy has on the state’s educational system.”
Three areas of the policy were clarified before final approval. The Board voted to remove language from the policy that waived the arts graduation requirement for students in the entry-level pathway if such classesinterfere with a student's vocational studies schedule.
“The majority of the board agrees that we need to send a strong message about the importance of art,” said Board Member Priscilla Haden. “All children should be exposed to art whether they want to go to college or technical school.”
The Board also voted to remove language from the policy that defined a professional workday for teachers.
Finally, assurances were given to the Board by Department staff that students in the gifted program would be allowed to enroll in higher-level courses when they earned all required credits.
“This policy is very mindful of gifted students,” said Assistant Superintendent of Schools Pamela Cain. “The concept behind the policy language was to make sure students were taking at least three math courses while in high school in an effort to improve SAT and ACT scores. The policy allows gifted students to take accelerated math classes once they earn all their graduation requirements. This same concept applies for all curriculum areas.”
The Board also placed Policy 2419 - Regulations for the Education of Exceptional Students on public comment. This policy reflects changes which include: 1) a change in language to make the policy compliant with the Full Equal Opportunity Goals (FEOG) language; and 2) clarification with regard to the scope of regulations and the age of students with disabilities to whom these regulations apply.
Policy 2419 will remain on public comment for 30 days. School administrators and parents are encouraged to review the document and make suggestions on improving the policy. You can find Policy 2419 by logging onto http://wvde.state.wv.us/policies/