School district discusses grants

Hot Springs County School District #1 (HSCSD) held their consolidated grant planning meeting last week to shed light on what grants the district receives each year and what those monies are spent on.

Prior to the grant explanations, presenter Nichole Ciz reminded parents they may request information about their student’s teachers at any time. If you question the education a particular teacher possesses, you may ask for information about their education and experience.

Hot Springs County schools are in complete compliance with safeguarding student information through the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. That compliance is required for all schools which receive funds under programs through the US Department of Education.

Generally, schools must have written permission from the parent in order to release any information from a student’s records, however, there are a few exceptions to that rule. Parents have the right to have their child’s information withheld from the school directory.

In order to be classified as persistently dangerous, a district must have two consecutive years with felony-related expulsions for drugs, alcohol, weapons, or violence that exceeds the expulsion rate of two-percent per year of the student body or four students, whichever is higher.

The schools in the district are not persistently dangerous schools, so are considered safe and drug free.

In fact, the schools have a crisis plan in place and hold regular practice drills to ensure children’s safety. Those drills relate to tornado, fire, earthquake, active shooter and low-level lockdowns.

The district is dedicated to ensuring each child receives the education they deserve, and follow the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act.

Support is available for students who lack a regular, fixed and adequate nighttime residence, are sharing housing due to economic struggles, live in a shelter, hotel or motel or are living in a public place such as a car.

In addition, help is available if a student is unaccompanied, waiting foster care placement, is a child abandoned at a hospital or a migrant child who qualifies under any of the above situations.

A district wellness policy is reviewed annually. Currently 100% of the staff participates in Wyoming Health Fairs. They continue to enhance the PE program for students and have implemented the farm to school and scratch menu items to provide the healthiest options for students.

HSCSD is one of only three school districts in Wyoming where all of the schools in the district are meeting or exceeding school performance standards.

Ralph Witters Elementary (RWE) exceeds the expectations for growth and equity as well as meeting the target for student achievement.

Thermopolis Middle School (TMS) is meeting targets for growth, equity and achievement while Hot Springs County High School is meeting the targets for equity, achievement, growth and graduation rates.

Grants

The first grant discussed is the Title IA-At Risk Reading and Math grant the district receives.

The monies from this grant are used primarily for kindergarten through fourth grade, allowing the district to hire quality teachers in reading and math as well as paraprofessional positions.

Books, supplies and materials for reading and writing are purchased as well as being used for professional development and programs that enhance parent and community involvement.

21st Century Community Learning Centers grants help fund the Lights On Afterschool and programs.

At the high school level this helps with the life skills curriculum, nutrition curriculum, tutoring, career certifications, Robotics, job experience and outdoor educational opportunities.

TMS and RWE use funds for afterschool programming as well as club based, outdoor educational summer programs.

The programs are working very well with 111 students enrolled at RWE with 86 attending one or more times throughout the year and a daily average of 39 student participants. At TMS they have 107 students enrolled with 53 attending one or more times and a daily average of 19 students.

With all of the cuts the Wyoming Legislature has made to school funding, we often hear grumblings about money being taken out of the classroom to fund teachers traveling for professional development.

In reality, that development and everything that goes with it comes from Title IIA grant funding for professional development.

Title II funds help not only with professional development, but with dropout prevention, curriculum leadership, technology integration and creating a professional learning community within the district.

Restrictions on the grants and where they must be used are the reason teachers and staff travel out of town for various classes and pay for special speakers to be brought in to help in various areas.

Bottom line, federal grant funds must be spent in a certain way. Monies from one grant cannot be shifted to another area during budget cuts to pay for day-to-day expenses.

IDEA 611 funding supports staff training for Special Services.

The grant also helps with specialized equipment needs, extended school year instruction and specialized programs for students for students from kindergarten through graduation.

IDEA 619 funds supports early intervention for pre-school age students, supports Kinder Camp summer programs and the pre-school program.

Both of these grants fall under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The Title IV-A grant helps with professional development as well, providing students with a well-rounded education, supporting safe and healthy students and encourages support of the effective use of technology.

HSCSD is working hard to communicate with their stakeholders, the public and parents alike.

A plethora of information may be found on the district’s website, hotspring1.org, on Facebook and Twitter and through texting information from the district.

Alert Now allows telephone and email notification to parents in the event of a school closure or emergency situation, and grades and more are available through Power School.