Ashland board puts school year in gear, starting new with handbook
ASHLAND − For many students, the school day begins with a bus ride, which Ashland City School District Superintendent Steve Paramore wants to be a positive experience.
Paramore told the board of education at its Monday evening meeting he incorporated a policy in the revised student handbooks to ensure bus travel is safe for the students and the drivers.
"It is a life skill to ride transportation," Paramore said. "That's what we do. We educate."
In the handbooks approved for all grade levels, students and their families will be alerted to behavior that will not be tolerated without loss of the privilege to ride the bus for a "significant amount of time," depending upon the severity of the infraction, Paramore said.
"Our bus drivers love our kids; we want our kids to love them back," he said.
Other topics and modifications covered in the handbooks, as reported by Ashland High School Principal Josh Packard, are chronic medical issues, college visits and career shadowing, and protocol for use of electronic devices.A uniform procedure for cell phones restricts their use during academic periods, when they must be kept out of sight.
The adoption of one-to-one Chromebooks for students also comes with expectations for their use, Packard said, describing them "essentially like a textbook," to be returned at the end of the year.
A plan in which parents will play a part
Board member Pam Mowry praised the amount of commitment on the part of multiple personnel involved in working on the handbooks.
She said what really stood out to her in reading them was the part parents can play in partnership with the schools.
"School does begin at home," Mowry said.
Capital improvements also were on the evening's agenda. The board approved the construction of a maintenance building with Master Renovations Inc. at 1407 Claremont Ave. at a cost of $358,800, using permanent improvement funds generated by the previous sale of school properties. It will house inventory that has been stored in an old facility on Third Street, Paramore said.
Community room a popular place to gather
Paramore also noted the popularity of the Community Room at the stadium. Only one date, the home opener on Aug. 18, remains available for rental of the space.
"We look for (it) to be an important place to gather," Paramore said, calling it "a really great venue" with air conditioning, high top tables and the capability for patrons to bring their own food into the facility.
Deputy Superintendent Linda McKibben outlined a rigorous week, Aug. 16-21, for professional development of teachers, citing "lots of (curriculum) training," from literacy to math.
"Everybody has something new," McKibben said, noting teachers "have worked hard to be prepared."
Mowry and Paramore highlighted student and district involvement in the Vietnam Traveling Wall and Tribute, which will be escorted from the Mansfield Reformatory to the Ashland County Airport for display via Claremont Avenue and Main Street on Aug. 2.
Among the participants involved will be Ashland High School football players who will help set it up at the airport.Among the dates scheduled for the 2023-2024 school year are orientation for sixth- and ninth-grade students on Aug. 22 and a start date for all students on Aug. 23. Building open houses will be held from Aug. 16-22.
Families must sign up for free and reduced lunches, if they qualify, and for bus transportation for their students. All dates and information are posted on the district website at www.ashlandcityschools.org and the district app.
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Prep for new school year moving toward high gear in Ashland
