By Charlotte Matherly, contributor
Increasing police presence in schools and revamping infrastructure and technology are atop Rockingham County Public Schools’ plan to address school safety over the next five years.
That was the first “focus area” prioritized in a draft of the 2024-29 Comprehensive Plan, which the school board will vote on next month. Superintendent Larry Shifflett, who developed it, was scheduled to formally present it Monday night but did not discuss it during the meeting. He’s discussed community feedback and other priorities during the process, and the full draft is available online.
Safety was a chief concern for parents, teachers and staff members, students and community members in a survey put forth by the school district earlier this month — about 1,400 of the 2,300 respondents cited it as their top priority. Earlier this fall, RCPS received online threats of violence to several schools, which were later determined to be a hoax.
The district also considers mental health and bullying as safety issues. Shifflett’s plan would have behavioral specialists and early-intervention clinicians identify and support students at risk of mental-health problems.
Here’s how Shifflett and the school board are looking to improve in other areas:
- Academic excellence: Expansion of the new lab school, more hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, and more staffing for special education and English-language learners.
- Employee recruitment and retention: Salary increases to make RCPS jobs more competitive, supplying professional development and mental-health resources, and make teachers’ schedules more flexible to allow more planning time and reduce burnout.
- Student behavioral health: Incorporate early-intervention programs for behavioral issues, provide clearer expectations and help students learn resilience and other life skills through coursework.
Shifflett’s plan also mentions the use of artificial intelligence, the county’s population growth and students’ reading abilities.
He prioritizes teaching students about AI’s potential to help problem-solve, its “role in society and the workplace,” and about how to use it ethically. He’d also get resources for teachers on how to responsibly use AI for learning. Although the plan doesn’t make mention of contracting with any AI tools or platforms, Shifflett would measure AI use by students for “program effectiveness,” according to the plan.
RCPS also anticipates a population boom in the county. The school district currently has 11,680 students, with the capacity to take about 4,000 more. Middle schools have the fewest vacancies, with 676 seats open (a vacancy rate of about 20%). Shifflett described multiple construction projects and school renovations, including a new middle school, to account for the expected population increase last month.
The district will also double down on efforts to improve reading scores among students. Shifflett’s plan would aim to decrease the number of students who are at a high risk for reading challenges by 5% each year — that would mean getting that number below 20% by next spring and below 5% by 2028.
New courses approved
The board also voted unanimously to offer half a dozen new high school courses next academic year, including the creation of a department for health and medical sciences.
About one-third of RCPS students said they’re interested in careers in medical industries, according to a survey presented at a recent board meeting. Another third said they could be interested in those careers.
The courses include medical terminology and an introduction to health and medical sciences, imaging technology and digital visualization as part of a broadcasting track, small animal care at the Massanutten Technical Center and applied agricultural concepts, which focuses on the entrepreneurship and food production sides of agriculture.
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