Update 10:30 p.m.: The Washoe County School District made fewer cuts to programs for gifted programs than was first proposed earlier this year.
The school board voted to keep three school-within-a-school programs for children identified as gifted. Programs will remain at Caughlin Ranch, Roy Gomm and Hunsberger elementary schools through the next school year. The district had first proposed reducing the program to just one school.
The school board also voted to direct staff to come up with options for a regional approach to locations for the 2022-23 school year.
The school board also voted to unanimously keep four gifted programs at middle schools after proposing to reduce the locations to three. Programs at Pine, Sky Ranch and Swope will remain and the district will develop a pilot program for gifted students at Clayton Middle School.
School Board President Angie Taylor said it is not as easy “as flipping a switch now that more students are allowed in classrooms and on school buses. It s transportation. It s nutrition services. It s allocations. It’s 75 percent max in each classroom, and getting students in. It s substitutes. It s all of that, Taylor said about the difficulty in changing school models with three months left in the school year.
Taylor said while the district has rolled out plans for how athletics will work, staff will have more information about how academics could change under a loosening of restrictions.
At last month s school board meeting, trustees did ask district staff to work toward doing as much as possible for seniors, including looking at options to have them back in classrooms five days a week.
Washoe County Reported 600th COVID-19 Death Over Weekend
The death toll from COVID-19 in Washoe County reached 600 over the weekend on Saturday when three new deaths were tallied. District Health Officer Kevin Dick called the grim milestone a “stark reminder” of the devastating impact this virus has had on our community.
During the month of January, 111 deaths were reported in Washoe. That’s exactly 100 fewer deaths than what officials saw in December.
Across the state, the average test positivity rate continues to decline and is now at 17.7 percent. At the same time, the average number of daily new cases over the past two weeks is also in decline and currently sits at just over a thousand.
An assessment of the youth centre undertaken by Beca, an engineering and consultancy firm employed by council, recommended that it remain closed to the public until the problems have been fixed. Problems found by Beca inspector Grant Hyde included rot, dampness, holes, broken windows, rusted pipes, blocked fire escapes, electrical switches held together with duct tape, and possible asbestos.
SUPPLIED/Stuff
Tape is used to hold this screwless switch to the wall inside the Twizel Youth Centre. The reports says “generally, exposed timber verandah beams are rotting and the verandah posts are starting to show signs of decay”. “The lintel dividing the lounge and kitchen/dining areas appears to be wet.”
Listen to this story.
The call was sent to every family with a student enrolled in the district on Jan. 6.
In the message, McNeill condemned the violence in Washington D.C. and reiterated the district’s commitment to fostering a respectful community. It also reminded parents of the district’s mental health services if needed. But what some heard was a political message which has drawn heated criticism.
Bruce Parks was among those who condemned WCSD Superintendent Kristen McNeill s message from Jan. 6 during the Board of Trustees meeting in Reno, Nev., on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Credit Screenshot / WCSD Live Stream
“I’m asking every one of these board members here to condemn the superintendent’s actions,” said Bruce Parks, one of a handful of public commenters who broached the topic during a school board meeting Tuesday.