Helping students, hiring teachers spotlighted at Warwick school board meeting

District stakeholders were sent “lengthy correspondence” regarding school safety by the Warwick Valley Central School District administration in June , according to school superintendent, Dr. David Leach, at last Thursday’s monthly board meeting..The communiqué was in response to a threat against the middle school by a student last month. Although Warwick police subsequently “deemed the threat to be not credible,” according to Police Chief John Rader, the issue is still being investigated.

In the meantime, the district plans to focus on both school safety and mental health issues, as it gears up for the coming school year.

“Substance abuse prevention and intervention are priorities,” Leach said. The district is looking to address substance abuse problems in local youth, and continues to partner with the Warwick Valley Prevention Coalition toward that end. He asked long-time school board member, Bob Howe, to continue as liaison to the Coalition.

“Progress is being made, but we can’t be complacent,” Leach said.

Peer leadership programs, substance abuse and crisis response services and the like have been done in the past, he said, and the administration plans to expand its modes of response to the two pressing issues.

Mental health issues are “more of a challenge to kids and families,” Leach said, noting that the district has a three-tier approach in place. That includes social/emotional learning, which teaches all students how to regulate their feelings. A second facet provides places to go for help when students need it and involves both teachers and counselors to help support students emotionally when necessary. Third is a clinical component for students and their families, when students need more complex support. Leach said his administration is working on this piece over the summer, and plans to share the details at the next board meeting in August.

There has been “some misunderstanding” about the program, Leach said, and added that the district “must do a better job explaining.”

Summer school under way

Some 300 K-8 students are enrolled in summer school currently, mainly as a result of time lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic; still others are there in need of instructional support in general.

English Language Arts (ELA), math and science, as well as other languages and physical education are among subjects offered during the summer.

While extra academic help is there for those who need it, WV is also offering a roster of enrichment classes, including summer baking; LEGO; Hogwarts Summer Wizardry.

“It gets kids out of the house, away from the screen, to hone Portrait of a Graduate skills,” Leach said.

Meanwhile, teachers at the high school are looking at Advanced Placement courses to determine which kids need help there.

“Curriculum is not a textbook,” Leach said. “Learning today is “interdisciplinary...not in discrete silos.”

He added that elementary grades are learning about science earlier than was traditionally done – and that, “A lot of good things are happening.”

Help wanted: teachers

Leach said that the district is currently hiring new teachers, and is doing multiple rounds of interviewing. The administration introduced two such new hires at Thursday’s meeting: Erin Hill Lewis and Chris Fiorentino, the new associate principals at the high school, both of whom have extensive math backgrounds, in addition to their other skills.

Public comment

An unusually large number of people – six – addressed the school board with their concerns about the district’s potential choice of official newspaper: Alan Clarkson; Mary Makofske; Tricia Miller; a woman who said she was a retired teacher; Gail Buckland; Geoff Howard. (See sidebar for details.)