Latest news with #WestVirginiaBoardofEducation
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Final graduation held at Liberty High School ahead of school merger
CLARKSBURG, – In 2024, the West Virginia Board of Education approved the closure and consolidation of several schools within the state. On Thursday evening, Liberty High School held its final graduation ceremony before it undergoes a merger with Robert C. Byrd High School. The last class of seniors walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, marking the end of an era for the school, which has served the community for decades. Effective for the 2025–2026 academic year, Liberty students will be in a new school. Randolph County superintendent says new policy that conflicts with WV Code is 'inaccurate' 'The achievements is phenomenal because I got to be final senior class president here. I am also the vice president of National Honor Society, and I pretty well helped coordinate most of the events here,' 2025 senior class president of Liberty High School Wayne Shuman said. 'Last night, we did senior sunset. It wasn't the best weather, there wasn't actually power up on the field, but we had about 45 kids come out. We had pizza. We all had fun.' In addition to the closure of Liberty, Mountaineer Middle School and Washington Irving Middle School will undergo restructuring, with both schools integrating and relocating to the former Liberty High School campus. 'It's a feeling that we get to be part of the closure, and we get to help transition other kids to wherever they are going—Lincoln, Byrd, Bridgeport, Doddridge—and to just be a good role model for everybody here,' Shuman said. During consolidation meetings over the course of the year, the board of education has stated that the goal is to enhance educational opportunities, improve facility utilization and ensure long-term sustainability for the school system. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
WV school board backs superintendent in vaccine policy debate, urges working with governor
The West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, (West Virginia Legislative Photography) The state school board is taking time to consider how it will move forward with Gov. Patrick Morrisey's executive order to allow religious exemptions to vaccination requirements. Nancy White, West Virginia Board of Education president, said Tuesday that the board wouldn't take action at this time and would reconsider the issue at its next meeting in June. Morrisey issued an executive order mandating that public schools permit religious and philosophical exemptions to the state's strict school immunization rules. He said his executive order must stand despite lawmakers' declining to change the state's school vaccine requirements. The House of Delegates voted 42-56 to kill a bill that would have implemented religious exemptions, and the state's immunization rules remain intact. 'The board supports the state superintendents' attempt to follow compulsory vaccination law and directs her to continue to work with the governor and with our legislative liaison to find resolution to this issue,' White said. Numerous speakers urged board members to support the current vaccination laws during a measles outbreak. No one spoke in favor of religious exemptions to those requirements. Earlier this month, State Schools Superintendent Michele Blatt issued then rescinded a memo directing public schools to follow the state's schools vaccination requirements that only permit medical exemptions under law. Morrisey has no intention of rescinding his executive order. He argues that the state's 'Equal Protection for Religion Act,' which went into law in 2023, gives his executive order legal authority. The questions about authority over vaccine laws come as preschoolers and kindergarten students are registering for the upcoming school year. Some private schools said they won't comply with Morrisey's order. Ohio County Schools hired a lawyer to weigh in on whether the school district should follow the governor's vaccination executive order or the state's current immunization requirements. While appearing on MetroNews Talkline on Thursday, Blatt said there needs to be a statewide policy for vaccinations because a county-by-county basis would be difficult given the high volume of students who transfer during the school year. 'It's important to note that our board of education decided that they're eager to work in collaboration with the governor and with the Legislature, and, you know, a lot of things into consideration, as far as timelines with where we are in the school year,' Blatt said. 'And so most of our schools are wrapping up in the next few weeks. And so they thought it was important to give our executive and legislative branch a time to possibly work out their differences.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
West Virginia school board will pursue lawsuit after lawmakers get authority over education rules
The West Virginia Capitol in Charleston, (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The West Virginia Board of Education will pursue litigation over a recently-passed bill that gives lawmakers the ultimate authority over school board policies. The Republican-backed measure was designed to trigger litigation for a likely review by the state Supreme Court that will favor lawmakers' side. The Legislature signed off on the bill earlier this year despite a clear voter rejection of a similar proposal three years ago. It became law last month without the governor's signature. 'I move that the board pursue litigation to contest the constitutionality of House Bill 2755 regarding the board's independent policy making authority,' said State School Board President Nancy White, who announced the legal challenge Wednesday at the board's monthly meeting in Charleston. No other comments were made by board members about the litigation. Bill sponsor Del. Mike Hornby, a Republican from Berkeley County, said he expected a legal challenge to the bill. He believes lawmakers have constitutional authority to intervene in education and noted the state's near-bottom ranking in academic outcomes. 'I hope we will come out with the right decision here, and I look forward to the results,' he said. The bill requires that all legislative rules enacted by the state board must first be authorized by the Legislative Oversight Commission on Education Accountability, a lawmaker committee known as LOCEA. The proposed rules would then be submitted to the full Legislature for review. 'I think the point of the bill is to work with the Department of Education,' Hornby said. 'A lot of people keep saying we want control — it's not the intent.' In 2022, West Virginia voters rejected a constitutional amendment that would have given the Legislature authority to review and approve the state board of education's rules and policies. Fifty-eight percent of voters were against it. Opponents of this year's legislation consistently argued that it was ignoring West Virginians' decision on the matter and injecting politics into classrooms. Hornby also said he sponsored the bill because he wanted the West Virginia Supreme Court to revisit the issue. The state school board has independent authority to oversee schools. The state Supreme Court upheld this in 1988 in West Virginia Board of Education vs. Hechler, determining that the state Board of Education has the 'general supervision' of schools under the Constitution. Any statutory provision that interferes with authority and rule-making is unconstitutional, the opinion read. 'A lot of people think that decision was wrong,' Hornby said. 'That's why I figured we'd do this, and that's why we got a lot of sponsors.' Ten other House Republicans sponsored the measure, including House Education Committee Chairman Joe Ellington, R-Mercer. During bill debate, Democratic lawmakers predicted that the bill would likely result in a lawsuit. They argued — like the state school board — that the measure wasn't constitutional since the state Supreme Court had already ruled on the matter and the proposed amendment was defeated by voters three years ago. Hornby said money spent on the case would be 'well spent' if it fixes the education system. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
2 north central West Virginia schools recognized for ‘exemplary practices'
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) has recognized three schools from across the state in its 2025 class of West Virginia Exemplary Practice Schools, two of which are from our region. Mylan Park Elementary School in Monongalia County received the distinction as well as a 2025 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished Title 1 School. A press release said that the school's 16% increase in English/Language Arts proficiency in grades 3-5 since 2018 earned it the award. Another school that received the distinction was White Hall Elementary School in Marion County, which received the award after seeing a 22% increase in math proficiency in grades 3-5 since 2018. Harrison County student gets accepted into Harvard Mullens Elementary School in Wyoming County was the third and final school to receive the distinction after having a 44% increase in math proficiency in third and fourth grade students since 2022. This is the second year that the West Virginia Department of Education has implemented the program, which recognizes schools that 'illustrate outstanding school practices that positively impact student outcomes.' Mountaineer Middle School in Monongalia County and United Technical Center in Harrison County were among the first set of recipients, alongside Sherman Elementary School in Boone County. Additional celebrations are planned at each school that received an award. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
