KINGWOOD — Members of the Preston County Board of Education met at the East Preston School in Terra Alta Monday evening and discussed a possible levy, repairs at Preston High School (PHS), West Preston and parent notification requirements.
During an earlier meeting board member Cross Kisner requested parent notification requirements be placed on the agenda. He expressed concerns that parents should be notified prior to their child being pulled out of the classroom.
Examples given were school assemblies, guest speakers, counseling, nurse visits, tutoring, retaking special tests and administration needs for discipline.
“I’m not saying anyone is doing anything wrong,” Kisner said. “But parents might not approve of what’s being said by a speaker.”
Board member Lucas Tatham said he believes prior permission is the answer. He said if a child breaks an arm you couldn’t take action if there was no prior approval.
In a review of the district policy manual, there did not appear to be any current policy requiring this process.
Board members asked that principals discuss the problem during their meeting, come back to the board and address some of the issues.
No further action was taken.
Superintendent of Schools Brad Martin said Veritas provided an update on work being done on the PHS front entryway and exterior door replacement project. He said the contractor has established a lay-down area for materials near the small gym and provided a time for work that will probably continue into the new year.
Martin said the work will also require some morning traffic flow and drop off changes that are anticipated to begin this month. He said work continues to be delayed based on supply chain issues.
He said the contractor is also working toward beginning the project scheduled at West Preston where a concessions stand will be constructed that will be hooking onto or near the stage/cafeteria area of the school. Work will also be completed to add doors leading into the pod-style classrooms in the lower elementary section of the building. He said work will begin on this project in the next 10-14 days.
Martin said Mansuetto, a roofing vendor, is anticipated to be at PHS next week to begin removing rooftop HVAC units on sections of the school and replacing the roofing on these sections. The vendor will then replace the rooftop units with new units that were secured late last year.
A third levy committee meeting has been scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 24 in the boardroom. During the group’s last meeting, leadership positions were selected and the group worked to finalize a survey to elicit public feedback for the development of a potential levy call in May 2024. Martin said the survey will likely be pulled down after 2 1/2 weeks to allow time to review and analyze results before the next meeting. The current levy runs out next year and the Board of Education is holding the meetings to decide whether or not to have a levy call next year.
The survey can be found at prestoncountyschools.com under the news tab. Paper copies of the survey can be found at local senior centers, the Kingwood Public Library and the Board of Education Office.
Last week, Bruceton School students had an opportunity to learn about making apple butter. Several community members volunteered their time to conduct demonstrations of the process, answered student questions and involved the students in using stirring paddles. During the event, over 100 jars of apple butter were made and sold as a school-level fundraiser.
The next meeting of the Preston County Board of Education will be 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at the Aurora School library.
