By Steve Pendleton
On Monday, February 3, 2025, the Hardy County Board of Education met at Moorefield Elementary School (MES). Present were Dixie Bean, President; Melvin Shook, Vice-president; board members Roy Harper, Douglas Hines, and Janet Rose; Dr. Sheena VanMeter, Superintendent; Jennifer Strawderman, Assistant Superintendent; Shawn Cullers, Executive Secretary to the Superintendent; Josh See, Director of Transportation and Maintenance, and Beth Barr, Director of Student Support Services.
The meeting opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Transportation and Maintenance Report
Josh See sent out requests for estimates on the flooring at the MES annex building. The material is a rubberized surface like the flooring in the school cafeteria. Dixie Bean noted that the concrete will have to be prepared before that work is done. Janet Rose said that everything must be perfectly level and not off even a fraction of an inch. Dr. VanMeter recommended that a quote be obtained for a tile floor as well. See announced that the State Fire Marshal will visit Moorefield on Friday, February 7th to inspect local schools and will also go through the annex building. The recent harsh weather caused schools to be closed for several days as secondary roads were not safe for buses to travel on. During the cold spell, the only casualties were frozen pipes at the central office and a frozen downspout at MES.
See reported that two motorists were pulled over and cited by law enforcement after
driving through a bus stop in January. One incident involved a tractor trailer. The driver
who was charged with hitting a 10-year-old girl in eastern Hardy County as she walked
across the road to the bus was convicted. His driver’s license is suspended for six
months and he was issued a $1,200 fine. Fortunately, the child escaped serious
injury. Police officers working with the school system on bus stop violations are
Melody Burroughs (Moorefield Police Department), Jimmy Shipe (School Resource
Officer and Hardy County Deputy), and Hardy County Sheriff’s Deputy Ben Parker.
Melvin Shook inquired about a bus that has Harley-Davidson mud flaps. See concurred
that county schools are not permitted to use a bus part that advertises a private
business unless it is installed at the factory. The company that supplies mud flaps to the
manufacturer, for example, may have their name and logo on that product.
English Language Update
Jennifer Strawderman provided the board with new data and information on the English Language Program. Currently, 160 students are taking English as a second language, a rise from 139 students last year. The numbers per school is as follows:
Moorefield Elementary – 57
East Hardy Elementary – 2
Moorefield Intermediate – 31
Moorefield Middle – 25
Moorefield High School – 44
East Hardy High School – 1
There are a total of 20 languages spoken by those students including Spanish with various dialects, Haitian Creole, and Amharic (Ethiopia). Students from Honduras and Guatemala do not speak Spanish as commonly thought, but tribal dialects. The federal government expects students to be proficient in English after five years in the program. Once a child tests as proficient, he or she must be monitored for continued progress. In the current school year, 21 students have tested at this level.
Hardy County has four English Language teachers, one at the Moorefield schools.
These teachers are highly trained and work to support English Language instruction in general education classrooms. They receive training from the Center for Applied Linguistics. There are two interventionists, one at MES and another at East Hardy Elementary. These staff are not certified teachers but are able to provide support similar to aides in a typical classroom. Morgan See serves as the program’s parent liaison.
Consent Items
Minutes from the meeting of January 21, 2025 were unanimously approved.
Unfinished Business
The Board approved an update to the student attendance policy.
Board Members/Superintendent Discussion
Dr. VanMeter reported that Hardy County is on track to meet the goal of cutting five percent in expenditures. The use of virtual schools has reduced costs. Teachers are participating in friendly competitions as an incentive to meet or exceed class performance expectations. Schools are already competing against one another in a student attendance contest. Faculty at the school that finishes second must wear the colors of the winning school one day the following week.
Mission Statements/Accomplishments
Hats off to 10th grade English teacher Lee Keaton for creating an exciting learning atmosphere while getting great results from his students.
Executive Session
The Board entered into executive session at 6:10 p.m. and exited at 6:27 p.m.
Personnel Actions
All personnel matters as recommended by the Superintendent were sanctioned.
With all business having been completed, a motion and second to adjourn the meeting was passed. The next meeting of the Hardy County Board of Education is scheduled for Monday evening, February 17th at the central office beginning at 5:00 p.m.
