Wrapping up Sept 9 2020 SBDM meeting
The Sept. 9th, 2020 SBDM meeting began with the adoption of the minutes from the Aug. 2020 meeting. HC Principal Paul Little continued with the good news report. HC Math teacher Sarah Zehnder discussed a quicker, more reliable way to grade homework.
The meeting followed with public comment. HC English teacher Emily Isenhour addressed her concerns with the current NTI schedule regarding Wednesdays and how they were difficult to manage for both teachers and students. HC Chemistry teacher Denise Minor also discussed the schedule, stressing that students need guidance and positivity during this time. HC parent Jane Brannon announced that the Fayette County Health Department is making progress on allowing special education students to come back to school. Lastly, HC parent Dr. Margaret Readdy voiced her concerns about the lack of interaction between foreign language teachers and their students.
The MTSS Report followed with good news. The total failed courses from last semester has went down to 937. The Planning and Budget Committee reports followed, and the requests were approved and noted.
Changes to the grading policy have been addressed. The proposed policy change would make formative and summative grades 45% each, and finals could change to 10% of the overall grade. The committee has scheduled another meeting on Sept. 16th at 5:30 via Zoom to finalize the change.
The Activities Budget was approved. Following was the NTI Update stating that HC still has 100 students without Chromebooks. HC is still waiting for further information from the Fayette County School District. Parents are also being asked to encourage their child to turn on their cameras, so teachers know if they are actively participating in class.
The meeting was concluded with public comment. HC parent Chris Gilligan expressed concerns about the camera requirements as well as homework being assigned when classes are not meeting. He also voiced his concerns about teachers assigning homework on weekends while also making it due on weekends without any notice. Little encouraged concerned families and students to reach out to him personally. HC parent Brad Goan closed public comment with gratitude to teachers and staff working hard on making online learning the best it can be.
The next SBDM meeting will be on Sept. 16th at 5:30 via Zoom to finalize the grade policy change.