Ohio County Board of Education Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Ohio County Board Of Education Reviews Medical Cannabis Policy

Under the policy, applications for cannabis use would be restricted to students who provide a doctor’s certificate and produce a parent’s signature. Additionally, the guardians or parents of the student must apply for an official medical cannabis card through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources.

The Ohio County Board of Education met Monday to discuss a new medical cannabis policy for its students.

Last year, the West Virginia Department of Education adopted a policy (Policy No. 2422.7) to establish standards for the possession and use of medical cannabis by students.

During Monday’s meeting, the Ohio County Board of Education discussed the details of that policy and its strict limitations.

The student would also be required to produce a separate identification card from the DHHR. The guidelines also require that a physician must provide written certification the student has a medical condition that requires cannabis.

Ohio County Schools nurse Melissa Soltesz said under the guidelines of the policy, only caregivers or guardians could administer medical cannabis to a student on school property, or at a school-related event.

“Nurses will not be administering it,” Soltesz said. “It can’t be delegated; it can only be the caregiver or guardian who has the card.”

Students authorized to use medical cannabis could only use gummy drops or pill forms of marijuana but would not be allowed to leave the cannabis or the medical card on school property or with a school official.

At this time, no students in Ohio County have requested to use the policy. Raleigh County adopted a cannabis policy earlier this year.

Ohio County Board Of Education Cuts Library Funding

Some Ohio County residents are upset after the Wheeling-Ohio Board of Education voted to reduce funding for the county’s public library by one-third.

The decision to reallocate funding for the library was handed down during a board meeting last month. It voted to reduce funding from 3 cents to 2 cents per $100 of the institution’s assessed property value, according to the Wheeling Intelligencer. The board plans to use the money that would have gone to the library to fund property improvements within the county.

Supporters and staff members of the library system think this decision is ill-advised. Library President Dottie Thomas says it would mean a cut in the services and programs the library currently provides. She is concerned about upkeep on the building itself.

“It allows no room to maintain the building at all, or any capital improvements, or repairs, or all of that, which, of course, is very expensive,” said Thomas.

Those opposed to the decision also include notable names like West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman, who decried the Board’s decision as “shameful,” and former President of West Liberty University Clyde Campbell.

The Wheeling Intelligencer reports that the Ohio County Board of Education will re-evaluate its financial standing next year to decide funding levels for the library. Thomas says that without any state law requiring the funding of libraries locally, it would be difficult to encourage future funding.

“West Virginia made two mistakes,” said Thomas. “One: It never put in place any type of requirement for local government funding of libraries in the state code. And two, it has a very ineffective way of encouraging that funding. Some states do a much better job with local library funding.”

Though the defunding of the Ohio Valley Public Library is worrisome to Thomas, she thinks the institutions have a place in local communities all around the state.

“Do I believe public libraries are still relevant?” Thomas asked. “Absolutely. They provide the internet, of course, and all these services to all people, regardless of their economic status. It’s the taxpayers providing their community with a service that allows the local citizens to educate themselves and be well-informed.”

Wheeling Island Stadium to Open in September After Repairs

The Ohio County Board of Education has voted to move ahead with a repair project at Wheeling Island Stadium.

The board cast a 5-0 vote to accept bids Monday after M&G Architects and Engineers provided an analysis of the building.

Officials say crew removed a concrete panel from the top seating section on April 17 when its adjacent panel fell in uncontrolled fashion onto the facility’s surrounding fence.

Eric Matyskiela of M&G Architects and Engineers says the panel failure isn’t something that could’ve been easily noticed.

Superintendent Kim Miller says the stadium will open in mid-September and will not be ready for the OVAC All-Star game. She says required repairs will cost $700,000 and she hopes Wheeling Park High School’s insurance policy will cover some costs.

Ohio County Schools to Hire New Super in February

Ohio County Schools plan to hire a new superintendent next month.

The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register reports board of education members approved a time frame Monday for hiring the next superintendent. The final selection will take place at the board’s Feb. 22 meeting.

The board also agreed not to retain legal counsel to oversee the superintendent search. They’ll instead pay for the assistance of the West Virginia School Boards Association in selecting the school district’s next leader.

A town hall meeting on the superintendent’s search is scheduled for Friday at Wheeling Park High School. The public will be able to complete an online survey about selecting a superintendent before the meeting.

Susan Nolte, human resources director for Ohio County Schools, said Monday that three candidates had applied for the position so far.

County School Board Ditches Phone-In Meetings

The Ohio County Board of Education has ended the practice of allowing members to call in to meetings, collecting $160 for participating each time they do.

The Intelligencer reports that the board voted 3-2 Monday to abolish the policy.

The school district’s attorney and the board consulted the state Ethics Commission ahead of the vote. The panel concluded that government bodies do not have to allow phone participation by members.

One board member vacations in Florida during May. She had called in to 22 meetings since taking office in 2010.

Another board member said constituents had told him they wanted the practice to end.

Cyberattack Disrupts W.Va. Public Education Network

Authorities are investigating a cyberattack that briefly disrupted a state public education network.

Department of Education chief technology officer Sterling Beane tells media outlets that the denial-of-service attack caused a 20-minute disruption of the network’s computing services last week.

Denial-of-service attacks flood sites with traffic, making them temporarily unreachable.

Ohio County school board President Shane Mallett tells The Intelligencer and Wheeling News-Register that the source of the attack was a computer lab at Wheeling Park High School.

Beane says authorities don’t know whether a student initiated the attack. There was no attempt to steal information.