Employee honored for flagging student
Jasper Llewellyn, data center systems administrator in the Pulaski County Special School District, was recently awarded the Superintendent’s Hero Award for his part in identifying and getting help for a student who was in jeopardy.
Superintendent Janice Warren presented the award during a recent School Board meeting, during which she said one of Llewellyn’s responsibilities is to monitor suspicious online activity that is captured by the district’s Internet filter.
In the monitoring role, Llewellyn noted that a student who was at home was doing multiple searches on ways to commit suicide.
Llewellyn immediately contacted Will Reid, who is the district’s chief technology officer, and Deborah Roush, who as communications director also monitors social media, Warren said. Within minutes, contact was made with the student’s principal, who called the police to do a welfare check and the student’s parent — all of whom were able to get to the student. The student was taken to a health center for care and is doing well, Warren said.
The Superintendent Hero’s Award for Llewellyn was one of only five awarded in 10 years.
Brinkley given OK to trim three days
The Arkansas Board of Education has approved a waiver of three instructional days for the Brinkley School District in a school year marked with facility problems, including a termite infestation.
Superintendent Debbie Goodwin described events that caused schools to be closed multiple days. Some of the missed days will be made up, but Goodwin asked the state board to shorten what is supposed to be a 178-day school year, according to the state’s standards for accrediting schools.
Classes were canceled one day because a School Board member died, Goodwin said. So many teachers and students wanted to attend the funeral, she couldn’t find enough substitute teachers.
On another day, a gas meter got disconnected so there was no heat, she said. Soon after, a sewer backed up at one of the facilities, causing additional problems.
“It’s been a strange year for Brinkley’s facilities,” Goodwin said.
Lower achievement seen in test scores
The University of Arkansas’ Office for Education Policy looked over the state’s recent results on the 2017 National Assessment of Education Progress — a math and literacy test given to a representative sample of fourth- and eighth-graders in every state — and offered some “NAEP Nuggets.”
Some of the nuggets:
Arkansas scores were the highest in 2011 and 2013, and have trailed off since;
Fourth- and eighth-grade math scores are lower than those of Arkansas’ border states;
Fourth- and eighth- grade reading scores are also lower than those of Arkansas’ border states.
3 state principals earn master status
Lisa Miller, Sharla Osbourn and Ashley Williams are the latest principals in Arkansas to achieve the designation of Master School Principal after completing four years of rigorous training, evaluations and assessment by the Arkansas Leadership Academy.
Miller is a principal at Van Buren Freshman Academy in the Van Buren School District.
Osbourn is a principal at Janie Darr Elementary School in the Rogers School District.
Williams is a principal at Mary Mae Jones Elementary School in the Bentonville School District.
Completion of the entire multistage academy program qualifies an individual for Master School Principal status and a $9,000 per year bonus for five years upon earning the designation. They are eligible for an additional $25,000 per year for five years if they are selected to serve at a low-performing school.