At their Nov. 30 meeting, the Loudoun County School Board met to discuss the elementary literacy curriculum and policies about student medications, and heard community concerns about recent sexual assault allegations.

The major focus of the meeting was kindergarten through third grade literacy. Casey Valenty, the director of academics for The New Teacher Project, discussed current issues with K-3 literacy and how they should be addressed. According to Valenty, the main problems with the elementary English curriculum are that it does not give teachers and students the necessary resources for writing practice to master grade level standards, guarantee educational equity for all students, or encourage students’ advancement in reading skills. “A student could be reading a ‘just right’ text for 12 years, and that might be on a second grade level. [The concern is] when are they going to read a book that is for their grade?” Valenty said. A ‘just right’ book is a book that is not too hard for you nor too easy for you to read. 

Valenty provided recommendations for teachers to improve their students’ outcomes like focusing on “engaging in a process to pilot new, high-quality instructional materials that are fully aligned to English language arts standards and the science of reading.” Valenty also offered a proposal on how to improve literacy in grades K-3 — conduct a curriculum adoption process as defined in Policy 5130, which would encourage teachers to adapt to each student’s reading level through one-on-one individualized instruction. The policy is set to be implemented in fall of 2023 after trials are conducted.

Another point of discussion was the amendment to Policy 8420, which now allows the administration of oil-based products in medication to students. Suggested by Broad Run District school board member Andrew Hoyler, the amendment now allows for school staff to “administer CBD oil, THC-A oil, or oil based products” to students who have been issued a valid written certification. “Virginia code considers oil-based products under the same term as CBD oil and THC-A oil,” Hoyler said. “So, I think including ‘oil-based products’ in the actual policy will help avoid any confusion from parents who may have other oil-based products, such as capsules, that are allowed per Virginia code.” School board at-large member Denise Corbo seconded the motion and the motion was passed.

The main focus of the public comment revolved around the the recent sexual assault accusations at Stone Bridge High School and Broad Run High School. 

At SBHS, a 14 year-old male student sexually assualted a girl on May 28, 2021. The male student was then transferred to BRHS, where he was accused of sexually assualting another girl in Oct. 2021. This sparked a walkout on Oct. 26 in many LCPS schools in solidarity for the victims. 

Despite the concerns expressed during the public comment session, the school board did not address the sexual assault in this meeting.