The Rockingham County School Board held a work session Tuesday morning to discuss new policies and a new comprehensive plan ahead of the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Board member Sara Horst was absent from the meeting.

Community Service

The board members discussed a new disciplinary policy for students who violate drug and alcohol policies by bringing illicit substances onto school grounds.

Under the new policy, students caught with drugs and alcohol on school grounds would be required to complete four hours of community service, as well as other penalties that come with violating drug and alcohol policy. The board members expressed a desire to see students complete the service hours at their school, but acknowledged that other forms of service, such as picking up litter in the community, would also be acceptable.

Board member Hollie Cave said she hoped the board and the school district could one day reach a point where the policy was no longer necessary.

The proposal, along with several others, will be put forward for a period of public comment at the board’s meeting Monday evening. After the public comment period, the board will take a vote on the proposal.

Cell Phone Use

The board discussed implementing of new model policies regulating students’ cell phones in classrooms and how best to implement such policies.

The policies stem from an executive order signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to create cell phone-free schools, according to Superintendent Larry Shifflett. Shifflett added that the school district will use data from other districts across Virginia with similar policies to inform their policy, citing examples from Augusta and Louisa Counties.

Shifflett said the policy would be announced at the board meeting next week. In addition, once the policy is finalized, he said he would ensure that parents were made aware of it at back-to-school nights across the county and create an informational video for parents and students.

Classroom Flags

The board continued their discussion on a policy that would regulate what flags can and can’t be displayed in classrooms.

Shifflett brought up several areas of the policy in need of refinement, such as broad language that would prohibit the display of even something as simple as a large artwork, such as the one displayed in the school board’s conference room. He explained that, because of such broad language, principals across the district are requesting clarification, and teachers “just want to do the right thing.”

Matt Cross, chair of the board, said he was willing to examine how the language in the policy could be clarified, but added that he believed enforcement of the policy should be left to “common sense” discretion. Cave agreed that guidance and clarification regarding the policy should be given to principals and administrators, but that questions would “die down” about a month after the policy was in place.

The board discussed several examples and agreed that flags from school or university sports teams would be allowed, but other cases, like professional sports organizations, were more difficult to determine.

Board Member Jackie Lohr said she believed the policy was unnecessary.

Comprehensive Plan

The board talked at length about its new five-year comprehensive plan, which is still a work in progress.

The board members mentioned several “pillars” they wanted to be included in the plan, which would act as a road map for the district over the next several years.

Proposed pillars included academic achievement, student safety, technology, and capacity. Shifflett also suggested including employee recruitment and retention as an area of focus, which the board members agreed with.

The board members also mentioned specific items they wanted to see featured under certain pillars, such as bus safety, like cameras to track drivers passing school buses while picking up or dropping off students, improving student test scores and attendance, and programs for excelled learners.

The board members also agreed on adding a stewardship pillar, which would focus on spending taxpayer money wisely, and ensuring no money would be wasted. Other areas of focus included ensuring that schools have programs or activities other than sports that students can feel welcome in. Lohr said she wanted to give students “a reason to go to school that’s not just school.”

The board agreed to revisit the discussion of the comprehensive plan at the upcoming meeting.

The board will meet Monday evening at 7 p.m.