Latest news with #WestVirginiaDepartmentofEducation
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Lawmaker says public, private schools play a role in educating foster children in WV
BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — The West Virginia Center for Budget and Policy found in 2023 that West Virginia places children in foster at the highest rate of any state in the country, four times the national average. The study found that while West Virginia had only 0.5% of the national population, 2.2% of American children entering foster care were from West Virginia. The study also found that the number of children in foster care in West Virginia jumped by 57% between 2012 and 2021, despite an overall population decline of 4%. Additionally, the study found that parental rights of West Virginia parents are terminated more often than that of any other state, at a nearly 40% higher rate of speed. West Virginia Delegate Elliott Pritt, a Republican lawmaker who represents District 50, said the foster care system and needs of foster care children and others is now a strong consideration in the state education system. 'The foster care system is inundated with kids, and I think our public schools are inundated with kids that have problems, societal problems, familial problems, and it's not just foster kids,' said Pritt, adding that a number of children in family living situations have needs which require special support from the education system.' Data on public state websites showed around 6,292 foster children were enrolled in public schools in West Virginia in 2023. Ten interesting facts you might not have known about West Virginia Christy Day, spokeswoman for the West Virginia Department of Education, said that 2,142 foster children had an Individualized Education Plan, or an IEP, to meet special educational needs, in the 2023-2024 school year. The data shows that around 35% of students in foster care in 2023 required special education, compared to 22% of students who were not in foster care during the same year. It was unclear on Thursday, May 29, 2025, if the percentage accurately reflected the number of foster children who were in need of an IEP. Pritt said on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, that, due to recent legislation, state law now requires public schools to maintain a certain ratio of counselors, in order to meet students' special needs. Day said that the West Virginia Schools for Diversion and Transition employ professionals who solely provide support to students in foster care, adding that the title of Education Recovery Specialists had been transitioned to a new name, Foster Care Education Specialists. 'This program is a referral-based program and provides services to foster and kinship youth as needed,' Day wrote in an email. 'It also supports those youth identified by schools.' Day said the program assists foster care students and foster parents with document retrieval, enrollment, post high school college planning, programs and support referrals, and transcript analysis. Beckley attorney fears Senate bill could have negative effect on mental health services for at-risk transgender youth in the state Pritt said that private schools also play a role in addressing the educational needs of the state as it relates to students who are in foster care. He said that state law did not grant tax breaks to private schools which admit foster children, but he pointed out that the Hope Scholarship program, which takes money from public school coffers to allow parents or guardians to transfer a child to a homeschool or private school, provides tax dollars to private schools. 'I would hope that now, taking public money, that many of these schools would loosen up requirements or understand that there's a need in our communities, especially religious private schools,' said Pritt, 'that they are serving a community that has needs and that they would accept the applications of some of these kids.' Lawmaker aims to abolish alimony in West Virginia Pritt added that if foster children disagreed with the philosophy of a specific private or public school or homeschool curriculum, they could notify their caseworkers and request a change of educational setting. Day said that the WVDE Office of Special Education oversees the progress of disabled students in public and charter schools. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mullens Elementary School recognized as Exemplary Practice School
MULLENS, WV (WVNS) – Students, faculty, and staff at Mullens Elementary School are being acknowledged by the state for their efforts to improve student outcomes. In a day of celebration at Mullens Elementary School, the school was recognized by the West Virginia Department of Education as an Exemplary Practice School. It is one of only three schools in the Mountain State to earn the distinction this year. Since the Spring of 2024, the Department of Education's Exemplary Practice School program has been showcasing schools that have shown notable progress in one or more areas of the West Virginia Standards for Effective Schools. The standards serve as a reference for educators and administrators to assess and improve learning, and include areas of emphasis such as 'clear and focused mission,' 'instructional leadership,' and 'high expectations for success,' just to name a few. The data-driven approach of Mullens Elementary has resulted in notable improvements in grades, test scores, and attendance for students over the past two years. As a Mullens native herself, the Coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Education Office for District & Leadership Support, Jordan McBride was beaming with pride at the recognition of the community members behind this notable achievement. 'It's huge! I am honored to be from Mullens. This was my middle school. I went to middle school here,' said McBride. 'My parents' house is behind this school. Two tiny pieces of my heart are behind me, and my nephews go here. So, I've had these teachers. I've grown up with these people. It makes me emotional because it is such a big deal for them to be recognized for the hard work they do every day in such a small town.' During the ceremony, Mullens Elementary students were addressed by staff and faculty members, including another Wyoming County native, Kara Shumate, who is in her third year serving as Principal for Mullens Elementary. Shumate told 59News that a renewed focus on the school's math department, along with an emphasis on attendance, collaboration, and teamwork have been essential to the school's recent success, the effects of which she says can be felt throughout the community.'Being from Wyoming County, we say it all the time, it's very close-knit,' Shumate told 59News. 'We're a small community. We've got a lot of community involvement, and just being recognized on this stage for the whole state is such an honor for our school and our community.' Mullens Elementary is the latest West Virginia School to be recognized for its exemplary practices, following Mylan Park Elementary and White Hall Elementary, which were recognized in April. Administrators who feel their schools may fit the bill for the Exemplary Practice program are encouraged to submit an application to the West Virginia Department of Education detailing the unique ways they are making a difference for their students. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mylan Park Elementary recognized as Exemplary Practice School
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — A Monongalia County elementary school has been recognized as an Exemplary Practice School by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE). According to a release, Mylan Park Elementary School in Morgantown received the recognition, as well as a 2025 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Distinguished Title 1 School following the school's 16% increase in English/Language Arts proficiency in grades 3-5 since 2018. This is the first time Mylan Park Elementary has received the recognition. Bed bugs discovered at Barrackville Elementary/Middle School 12 News spoke with Principal Anne Lupo about what it means to be named an Exemplary Practice School. 'It is a sense of pride and we have put a lot of investment into our students and our teachers are constant learners,' Lupo said. 'They want to better themselves, and it is very rewarding when we have professional conversations and we hear them talk about their students and talk about what they can do in order to make those students and help them move forward, and so it is just huge pride.' White Hall Elementary School in Marion County also received the award after seeing a 22% increase in math proficiency in grades 3-5 since 2018. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Symposium held in Morgantown for West Virginia teachers in training
MORGANTOWN, (WBOY) — The West Virginia Department of Education hosted the 'Grow Your Own and Milken Educators Symposium' at the Morgantown Marriott on Monday for students training to become teachers. The 'Grow Your Own Pathway to Teaching' program was started to help develop West Virginia's teaching workforce and give students in high school an accelerated path to becoming a teacher. Over the next two days, students will hear from Milken Award-winning teachers about the latest practices and issues in the education field. Session topics include 'Teaching with Integrity: Navigating Ethical Challenges,' 'What Does AI Mean for Me?' and 'Assessment 101,' among others. This week's symposium will be attended by 100 students from 20 schools throughout the state. In total, 476 West Virginia students are enrolled in the 'Grow Your Own' program. The program starts in high school, where the goal is to have students spend time in real classrooms in a training capacity so they can be at a college sophomore level academically when they graduate. Green Bank Telescope getting a fresh coat of paint, for science In college, students will continue to receive support as they delve further into the teaching profession. Participating school districts will then give hiring preference to graduates of the 'Grow Your Own' program. 'The goal today is to really recruit within the state and to get our young people to realize that teaching is very rewarding,' West Virginia Department of Education Director of Education Preparation Dr. Traci Tuttle said. 'West Virginia has a lot of support for them if they choose to stay in the state and teach in the state, and we want them here.' Pocahontas County High School senior Miranda Gum is one of the students enrolled in the program. She plans to teach preschool and has learned a lot in her observation hours. 'There are many students and there are many different ways that they behave,' Gum said. 'Some children learn this way and some other children learn a different way, so you have to focus on them and how they can learn the best.' You can learn more about the Grow Your Own program by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
WV House approves homeschool changes, includes addressing parents in child abuse cases
Del. Kathie Hess Crouse, R-Putnam, speaks on the House floor about House Bill 2777, which would change some requirements for homeschooling in West Virginia. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The House of Delegates signed off on changes to homeschooling in West Virginia that included transferring oversight of thousands of homeschool students from local county boards of education to the state. House Bill 2777, sponsored by Del. Kathie Hess Crouse, R-Putnam, a homeschool parent, does away with the state's requirement that a homeschooling parent have a high school diploma. The bill also addresses what some lawmakers have said is a dangerous loophole in current homeschool laws by pausing a parent's request to homeschool if there's a pending child abuse investigation against the parent. More than 30,000 children are homeschooled in West Virginia. Last year, former Gov. Jim Justice and some Republican lawmakers called for strengthening the state's homeschool reporting requirements after 14-year-old Kyneddi Miller, who was being homeschooled, died from apparent starvation in Boone County. Her mother hadn't turned in any required assessments to the local county school board. Data from the West Virginia Department of Education last year showed that only about a third of families homeschooling their children turned in the required assessments to show student progress. State law doesn't require that public school employees follow up on homeschool families who have failed to report a child's progress. West Virginia has one of the nation's highest rates of child abuse, and the state's foster care system has been overburdened largely with abuse and neglect cases. Del. Josh Holstein, R-Boone, said the bill 'would resolve future cases like that while still protecting the rights of homeschoolers.' The bill doesn't address missing assessments, but it would pause a homeschool request by a parent involved in a pending child abuse or neglect investigation. The request would have to be resolved within 10 days. 'We had a situation in Boone County that really devastated our county … I'm going to be a 'yes' on it,' Holstein said Tuesday on the House floor. The measure is similar to a bill known as 'Raylee's Law' passed last year by the House; it's named for an eight-year-old girl who died of abuse and neglect in 2018 after her parents withdrew her from school. Educators at her elementary school had notified Child Protective Services of potential abuse. The legislation was spearheaded by Del. Shawn Fluharty, D-Ohio. 'Through the years of work, we've come up with bipartisan language to be included in this legislation,' Fluharty said. 'If there's one thing we can agree on in the body, all 100 of us, it's pulling the rope together to protect children.' Crouse said that the state is prepared to take on oversight of homeschool children. A spokesperson for the West Virginia Department of Education said the superintendent is not available to comment on the bill because it is still going through the legislative process. Crouse has repeatedly raised concerns about local school boards losing paperwork, including a parent's notice of intent to homeschool, and requirement assessments turned in by homeschool parents. 'The county does not do a good job of it… they lose most of them,' Crouse said. House Finance Chair Vernon Criss, R-Wood, asked Crouse about a fiscal note, prepared by the WVDE, saying management of the state's homeschoolers, including an online 'school choice portal,' would cost $700,000. The fiscal note was not included on the state's legislative website with the bill. 'I would believe they probably made one up,' Crouse responded. The bill passed the House with a vote of 75-22. On Monday, Del. Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, tried to amend the bill to remove the state's requirement that parents or guardians of homeschool students are required to submit to the county superintendent academic assessments of the children at grade levels three, five, eight, and 11. The amendment was defeated with a vote of 36-59 after some lawmakers argued that the assessments were used to verify that children were learning at home. The House also passed House Bill 3422, mandating that the state board of education oversee an online 'school choice portal.' It would reduce the county's workload and financial obligations, Crouse said. 'Half the time they lose the paperwork anyway,' she said. The school board would have to create the portal with input from individuals representing microschools, the Hope Scholarship and more. Del. Lori Dittman, R-Braxton, voted against the measure, citing an unfunded mandate for the WVDE. 'This will be an unfunded mandate,' Dittman said. 'This portal is a great idea, but it does come with a cost. And because it is unfunded and also with the current budget we have cut the education department by $11 million, I don't think now is the time to do this portal.' Crouse said she was told by the WVDE there would be no cost for them to operate the portal. 'I don't foresee there being any,' she said. 'I have numbers and figures here on how that would easily be taken care of,' she said. Both bills will go to the Senate for consideration. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
