The Williamsburg Board of Education (BOE) met Thursday, July 17, to discuss their goals and focus areas for the upcoming school year, as well as address blind spots in the recent Senate Bill 181, or SB 181.
The board brought attention to SB 181, a bill recently passed that eliminates technological communication between teachers and students. Williamsburg BOE discussed opportunities for a waiver, seeking clarification on step-parents, as they are not included in the bill, stressing the importance of communication.
The Williamsburg BOE engaged in a Zoom call with Board Attorney Paul Croley to discuss the waiver opportunities.
Croley had concerns regarding the waiver, suggesting some modifications for certain exceptions so that extended family members, step-parents, and individuals with power of attorney could be acknowledged and involved.
The meeting also included a conversation around cell phone use in the classrooms. It was noted that the issue is a growing concern for the past couple of years, and discussions will likely continue about eliminating phone use in the classroom entirely.
“I think we need to draw a line,” Superintendent Tabetha Housekeeper stated. “My personal belief is that it is a distraction.”
The board also discussed goals for Tier 1 instruction for the upcoming year. The board plans to implement six major focuses for every classroom, including the theme vibrant learning, which emphasizes learning that matters to kids and is memorable, written feedback for teachers after evaluations, written feedback to students from teachers, high-level questioning, modeling, and setting clear academic goals with each individual student.
