YADKIN COUNTY, N.C. —
Yadkin County School students are welcome to come Wednesday with their families to meet teachers and check out their classrooms ahead of Thursday's official first day back.
WXII caught up with Yadkin County Schools' Superintendent, Todd Martin, ahead of the school year. He shared what students and families can expect this year.
New electric bus
The school system is in the process of finalizing the funding to purchase the electric bus with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.
The electric bus will be based at Yadkinville Elementary. It will run routes at the elementary, middle and high schools.
"It's something different for us. We're interested to see how it will work out," Martin said.
School safety and security
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Martin said they're constantly applying for school safety grants when they're available.
Martin said they upgraded their security at their schools. He said last year they hired a school safety and security coordinator to work with staff and local law enforcement.
"Honestly student safety is our number one priority as it is everywhere. And so we are constantly looking to improve," Martin said.
Martin said if there's a weapon found on campus or a threat, their policy is to keep families informed as soon as possible. "We also work with the Yadkin County Sheriff's Department and notify parents of a series of lock downs and situations. We use our social media and we also use the district phone calling system to get the word out," Martin said.
Mental health resources
Martin said they have a place to enhance student mental health wellness each year.
They have agreements in place with mental health providers to come on campus and meet with students from time to time. Martin said they have maintained a number of guidance counselors and added a social worker position.
"So we have really, really tried to focus on not only student academics and achievement, but also student wellness. We want our students to be as healthy as they possibly can when they come to school," Martin said.
Learning loss from pandemic
Martin said the data shows that students are coming back but they're not quite to pre-pandemic levels yet.
Martin said their focus is on acceleration. "We've spent the last couple of years really focused on trying to catch students back up, but our focus is going to change. Now what our schools have built time into the instructional day where students can get individualized academic help. We have various programs in place that help us to identify areas of need for individual students, and then work with those students and families to address those specific needs."
Martin said they're not going to talk about pandemic learning loss but instead focus on what they can do to push students ahead as quickly as possible academically.
Preparing students for the future
Martin said this year they want to get their students prepared for the future.
He said they have internship programs and work programs that students can participate in to get them hands on experience.
There's also new learning modules that middle school students will go through to help identify a potential career choice. Students will also take field trips to local businesses and industries to show them what jobs and careers are available in Yadkin County.
"We want our students to have an understanding before they enter high school of their interests in terms of jobs and careers, that way when they arrive on the high school campus they can take courses that will help them achieve their goals," Martin said.
Superintendent's message to students and families
"Students were so happy and excited that it's time to start another school year that you know, the first week of school is always an exciting time. And I want everybody to know our teachers and instructional staff are ready to welcome students back with open arms into our classrooms," Martin said.
Martin added, "to parents, you know, I would say we want to partner with you. We've always valued our partnerships with parents, and we believe here and keeping parents well informed. We believe in working with parents, we want to work with parents and students to provide as much choice as possible. That's a big thing for us."
"To the Yadkin County community, you've always been so supportive of our schools and I just want everybody out there to understand that we appreciate the support that we're given. Because without these partnerships and the support, we couldn't do what we do for students. Our students are able to attend great schools and they're able to be in classrooms with teachers who care not only about their academics, but their wellbeing. Yadkin County Schools is a great place for students and we're excited to open the 23-24 school year," Martin said.
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