WHITEHALL — Whitehall superintendent CJ Van Wieren presented findings from a community survey that was sent out to school district families during the school board's regular monthly meeting Monday evening.
Van Wieren said the survey hadn't been done in a long time, and he wanted to get a sense from students, staff and parents about what the district is doing well and where it can improve. In all, 676 district students, 204 families and 158 staff members responded to the survey.
The survey results showed the district has a strong culture and is positive in the categories of student support, family trust and communication; well over 90% of respondents reported positive feedback in those areas. Many respondents also reported district facilities need improvements; most notably, 68% of district families reported classroom temperatures are not comfortable. Also of concern to the district was that only 31% of middle and high school students who responded to the survey reported that their peers take pride in maintaining the facilities' condition, and that only 65% felt the school buildings were clean and organized.
Another area Van Wieren said he'd like to address was behavioral expectations and recognition, noting that in questions regarding those areas, only between 50-67% of students felt positive behavior was being reinforced and recognized in the classroom.
With that, Van Wieren put together an informal list of priorities he has for the future. In the short term, the district will focus on its facilities, positive behavior reinforcement, and communication, with a long-term focus on student support, learning and monitoring the district's culture. Van Wieren cited recent public meetings he's hosted as something he'd like to make a regular feature going forward, saying it's given him good feedback and kept lines of communication open.
"We're not perfect by any means, but this place is still pretty great, thanks to our staff and The students," Van Wieren said.
The board presented student representative Tyler Van Antwerp, who is graduating Thursday, with a certificate and an envelope with a gift in recognition of his time with the board. Van Antwerp said he was pleased to say the student rep program would continue following his graduation, and in fact two seniors-to-be, Kate Beda and Emily VanDam, have already been selected for the position for next year after an interview process.
The board praised Van Antwerp for his initiative in reviving the student rep program this year, and secretary Paula Martin called him "a mover and a shaker" and shared that she looks forward to seeing what his future holds.
A parent spoke during the public comment period regarding material that was presented to her son in class Monday, May 12. According to the parent, sex education curriculum she deemed inappropriate - particularly the identification of a body part as a pleasure center - was presented in a health class. After she got in touch with school officials, it was determined that the material presented was not what the school intended and was different from the material presented a year ago in the same class. The presenter in question was new to the school's program and will not be returning, Van Wieren said. He added that the time is approaching where that curriculum will be up for review and the board will have to make decisions about what will be presented. The parent, as well as trustee Tim Cross, both said they appreciated the district and Van Wieren's quick response to the issue.
