05/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/08/2024 12:13
Charleston, W.Va. - The West Virginia Board of Education (WVBE) issued a State of Emergency for Martinsburg North Middle School (MNMS) in Berkeley County during the Board's May meeting today. The decision comes after a Targeted School Environment Assessment by the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Division of District and School Accountability.
MNMS is one of 21 schools in West Virginia identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) in the 2022-2023 school year. Identified schools represent the state's lowest-performing schools and receive intensive support and technical assistance from the WVDE to address critical areas of need.
On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, a team, representing the WVDE Office of District/School Improvement and the Office of Leadership Development, visited the middle school to conduct the Targeted School Environment Assessment. This assessment was prompted by several concerns, including:
During the assessment visit, the WVDE team witnessed several violations of state code and WVBE policies that significantly impacted the provision of a safe and productive learning environment. Among these issues:
Based on the information provided by the Targeted School Environmental Assessment, the WVBE voted unanimously to issue a State of Emergency for Martinsburg North Middle School. The WVDE Division of District and School Accountability will create an action plan in collaboration with Berkeley County Schools leadership. This plan will be presented to the WVBE at the June meeting.
The MNMS overview is available on the May 8th, 2024 WVBE meeting event page.
Harrison County School Closures and Consolidations
The WVBE approved Harrison County's request to :
To review the plans, visit visit the Exemplary Practice Schools page..
Exemplary Practice Schools
The WVBE recognized the first class of Exemplary Practice Schools. One school from each programmatic area was honored for illustrating outstanding school practice in one or more areas of the West Virginia Standards for Effective Schools.
Schools include:
To learn more about Exemplary Practice Schools and view a photo gallery, visit the Exemplary Practice Schools page.
WVBE Policies
Several WVBE policies were placed on public comment and can be reviewed on the WVDE website.
The next regularly scheduled WVBE meeting is 9 a.m., Wednesday, June 12, 2024, in Building 6, Suite 600, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard, East, Charleston, West Virginia.
For media inquiries, contact Christy Day, West Virginia Department of Education Office of Communications, at 304-558-2699 or [email protected].