Noblesville High School is in the process of phasing out several traditional classes in the areas of textiles, broadcasting, audio and video production, and sports and entertainment broadcasting.
The good news is that the school is transitioning these disciplines into what they call Next Level Programs of Study CTE courses so students can continue on the Career and Technical Education pathway. By going to the CTE pathway courses the students will receive a more comprehensive CTE education in their area of interest.
The board approved these courses for the 2024-2025 school year.
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Noblesville West Middle School highlighted a program to prepare students for their future called BIT, Business Information Technology. This program is a part of the school improvement plan. The courses are nine weeks in length in areas like computer science, personal financial responsibility, and careers and getting your first job. They are specific to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade, respectively.
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The policy adoption process continues with seven policies presented for a first read.
A policy on the participation of non-public school students in the public schools, C126, could use additional wording. As stated, the decision to allow a non-public school student to enroll in a class is at the sole discretion of the superintendent. There is no means for a student or parent to redress the issue.
I believe the policy should include a means for a student or parents to raise the issue to the board of school trustees should there be a denial of a request.
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There are two noteworthy mentions from the February school board meeting. The additional review of the NHS building addition provided an opportunity to improve the design of the bathrooms.
The first was the upgrade to the vape sensors. The new sensors will have a heat map, emergency lighting, a panic button, and identify a spoken word, such as “help.”
The second was the addition of a monitor strike sensor that is part of the door hardware. This sensor will be able to detect how long a door has been locked. A timer in the door latch can send a notification to the administrator team that the time limit has been reached. The cost for the upgrade can be absorbed into the contingency amount for the additional build.
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Also at the February meeting, a motion was adopted to change the meeting time from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m. The reason given was that this was more convenient for families with young children. Time will tell whether this was correct or not.
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The next regular school board meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 at the Educational Services Center.
Melba Kiser is an outspoken advocate for financial responsibility and transparency in government at all levels. Her column appears at least once each month in The Hamilton County Reporter Newspaper.