MIDLAND TRAIL ELEMENTARY
VISION STATEMENT
The vision of Midland Trail Elementary is for the WHOLE child to come first.
MISSION STATEMENT
Midland Trail Elementary students are moving towards excellence with the help of staff, family, and community.
WE BELIEVE:
1. We believe our staff, families, and community make the critical difference in student success.
2. We believe students have a responsibility to actively participate in their own education.
3. We believe educators must participate in ongoing professional development to enhance student achievement.
Midland Trail 2023-24 parent handbook and Title I documents:
Midland Trail Elementary
200 Ferry Street
Diamond, WV 25015
Telephone: 304-949-1823
Visit us @ https://mt.kana.k12.wv.us/
National Blue Ribbon School
West Virginia Blue Ribbon School
West Virginia School of Excellence
Title I School
MIDLAND TRAIL ELEMENTARY
MISSION STATEMENT
Midland Trail Elementary is where the WHOLE child comes first.
VISION STATEMENT
Midland Trail Elementary students are moving towards excellence with the help of staff, family, and community.
WE BELIEVE:
1. We believe our staff, families, and community make the critical difference in student success.
2. We believe students have a responsibility to actively participate in their own education.
3. We believe educators must participate in ongoing professional development to enhance student achievement.
New 4/18/22
Midland Trail Elementary School
200 Ferry Street
Belle, West Virginia 25015
Telephone: 304-949-1823 Fax: 304-949-1016
STAFF
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Principal................................
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Grant Davis
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Secretary...............................
Counselor..............................
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Amanda Merrill
Megan Backus
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Kindergarten ……………….
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Mindy Caruthers
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LouAnn Brenwald
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First Grade...........…………...
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Tina Randolph
Connie Bradley
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Second Grade…..…..……...
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Kelly Mathews
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Third Grade...........................
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Kristen Stamper
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Fourth/ Fifth Grade ……........
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Brooke Young
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Fourth Grade …….................
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Robin Long
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Fifth Grade………………..….
PLTW Specialist……………..
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Angie Millican
Alisa Stapler
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Special Education.................
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Sara Reese
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Autism Teachers..…………...
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Kara Higginbotham
Vacancy
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Autism Mentors………..……..
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Angie Workman
Hanna Clendenin
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Classroom Aide………………
Title I………... ......................
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Lori Daugherty
Ellen Robinson
Tracey Wendell
Denise Thompson
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Rebecca Tyree
Valery Mullins
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Speech………………………
Preschool.............................
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Kelsey Higgins
Lora Kirk
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Chelsea Bishop
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Physical Education................
Technology...........................
Art……………………………..
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Wendy Ellis
Tonya Harper
Sharon Fuerst
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Music………………………….
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Audra Wilkinson
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School Nurse.........................
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Ciera Floyd
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Social Worker........................
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Stephanie Woods
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Cooks....................................
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Lora Young
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Tonyia Richards
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Custodians............................
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Tammy Lewis
Johnathan Terry
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KCS 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
August
14 First Day for Teachers/200 Day Employees Return/Professional Learning Day
14-16 Professional Learning Days
17 Prep Day for Opening Schools/Faculty Senate
18 First Day for Students
September
4 Labor Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
22 Midterm
October
9 Parent Teacher Conferences (No School for Students)
10 Professional Learning Day/Faculty Senate (No School for Students)
20 End of First Nine Weeks
23 Second Nine Weeks Begins
27 Report Cards
November
10 Veterans Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
20-22 Out of Calendar Days (Schools Closed)
23 Thanksgiving Holiday (Schools and Offices Closed)
24 OS Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
December
1 Midterm
20 Professional Learning Day/Faculty Senate (No School for Students)
21-22 Out of Calendar Days (Schools Closed)
25 Christmas Holiday (Schools & Offices Closed)
26-29 Out of Calendar Days (Schools Closed)
January
1 New Year’s Holiday (Schools and Offices Closed)
2 Out of Calendar Day (Schools Closed)
3 Schools Reopen following Break
15 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday (Schools and Offices Closed)
16 Professional Learning Day (No School for Students)
16 Third Nine Weeks Begins/Second Semester Begins
17 Classes Begin for Third Nine Weeks
February
16 Midterm
19 Professional Learning Day/Faculty Senate (No School for Students)
March
22 End of Third Nine Weeks
25-28 Spring Break (Schools Closed)
29 OSE Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
April
1 Professional Learning Day/Faculty Senate (No School for Students)
1 Fourth Nine Weeks Begin
2 Classes Begin for Fourth Nine Weeks
May
3 Midterm
14 Election Day (Schools & Offices Closed)
27 Memorial Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
30 Last Day for Students
31 OSE Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
June
3-5 OSE Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
6 Prep Day for Closing/Faculty Senate/Last Day for 200 Day Employees
20 West Virginia Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
Pre-K through 5th...........7:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
STUDENTS
SHOULD NOT ARRIVE BEFORE 7:00 a.m.
All students report to the Cafeteria
Breakfast will be served between
7:00 and 7:30 a.m.in the Café,
late students will be given a grab and go breakfast.
School instruction begins at 7:30 a.m.
TARDINESS
Tardiness results in a loss of learning time for the student that is tardy and an interruption in the learning of other students. Students with repeated tardiness will be referred to the school social worker. A student is tardy if she/he is not in the classroom by 7:30 a.m. Students who are tardy should report directly to the office with an adult. Parents must walk your child to the door and sign them in. Please refer to the Tardy Policy.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
When a child is absent, a written excuse will be required upon the child’s return to school. Parents/ Guardians will be contacted by phone each day that their child is absent or tardy. Excessive absences, above the attendance policy set, will result in SAT referral and contact from the county social worker. Out of area students with excessive absences will have an SAT and review J32 Policy and risk losing out of area privileges.
Students are required to complete and return make-up assignments promptly. For example, if a student is absent for two days, he/she will have two days after his/her return to school to return all make-up work. .
ATTENDANCE REWARDS
All students are expected to be at school and on time every day. Research shows that when students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating. Attendance will be tied in with the school-wide incentive program dealing with Absences and Tardiness.
SCHOOL VISITS
All visitors must report to the main office. No one is to go to classrooms for any reason without permission from the office. This is for the safety of your children and everyone must follow this policy. Midland Trail has and uses video surveillance both inside and outside the school.
EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS
It is essential that the school have a telephone number where parents or guardians may be reached during the school day in case of an emergency the first number listed is the number contacted by county call out. School facilities do not enable us to care for sick children longer than the time necessary to notify parents. If you’re number changes, please call and let us know the new one.
REPORTING HOME AFTER SCHOOL
Please remind your child to go directly home after school. This will prevent anxious moments for parents and school personnel trying to locate a missing child.
TRANSPORTATION REGULATIONS
As a safety precaution, only students that live within walking distance will be considered walkers, all others must follow drop off and pick up procedures. Parents bringing their children are to load and unload in front of the school. Please do not block arriving staff and please do not block the Diamond resident’s driveways. Only registered students may ride the school bus. These students may not ride buses other than the ones to which they are regularly assigned. Good conduct on the bus is necessary and essential for the safety of all riders. Drivers have the authority to recommend excluding children from the bus for violation of rules governing bus transportation. These policies have been established for the safety of your child and your cooperation is needed. (See Policies and Procedures Handbook for details.)
We require that on any occasion when the child is permitted by you to go anyplace except directly home, he/she must have a note signed by the parent and approved by the office.
PERMISSION POLICY - If your child is supposed to go to a different location after school, or will be picked up by someone else, it is necessary to send a note signed by the parent. This note must be signed and approved by the office before permission is given. Arrangements for students to go anyplace other than home must be made by the parent prior to students coming to school.
To minimize interruptions during the school day, phone messages will not be given to students during school hours except in emergency cases.
Before any child leaves the building during school hours, it must be cleared in the office and you must sign your child out. The secretary will be glad to help you. No student will be permitted to leave the building during or after school hours with anyone other than parents or guardian unless prior arrangements are made with the office. If signing out your child early please do so before 1:45pm. This is for you and your child’s safety around the buses and moving cars.
SCHOOL MEALS
If the children are to perform to the best of their ability, it is important that they have a good breakfast and lunch, preferably hot meals.
Midland Trail Elementary will be part of the Community Eligibility Options program and all students will receive free breakfast and lunch. If you have any questions about the program please, call 348-6660.
MEAL PRICES
ADULT MEALS: CASH ONLY:
Breakfast - $3.25 Milk - $.45
Lunch - $4.35
A la carte meal service for students and/or adults at lunch
is prohibited. Meals must be priced and served as units.
Food items (sandwiches, breads or any other menu item)
may not be priced and sold separately. Only fluid milk,
be sold as a la carte for lunch.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Students are required by state law to have physical education. If your child cannot participate for any reason (long or short term), a doctor’s slip should be sent to the school on the day that the child will not be participating. Students must were tennis shoes that tie or have a Velcro strap that come across the foot and remain tied or fastened at all times, this is for your child’s safety.
SCHOOL DRESS AND GROOMING
Please note that we will follow Kanawha County dress code Student Dress Policy Series: J36 https://kcs.kana.k12.wv.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=25531570 In winter please dress your child appropriately to go outside at break (weather permitting). Any type of head covering is unacceptable unless for religious purposes or otherwise approved by School Administration.
Mark your child’s name on all clothing, coats, sweaters, etc. that might be removed at school. It will enable your child to find clothes that are misplaced or lost. If your child is missing an article of clothing, please check with the office.
HEAD LICE
There is no immunity from head lice. It takes a cooperative effort between the home and school to reduce the spread of head lice. Head lice problems arise among school children due to close contact with each other. According to School Board Policy, once a louse has been detected, the parent will be notified of the findings. We can provide the parent with written instructions to assist with proper treatment. Please notify the school if you discover your child has lice.
At home parents can help by regularly inspecting all family members and by reminding them not to use any borrowed combs or brushes and not to wear other people’s hats or clothes. If your child’s hair is long, keeping it in braids or a ponytail can help protect against getting head lice. Also, the use of hair spray and mousse containing alcohol is another way to deter the spread of head lice.
Electronic Devises and Cell Phones
Cell Phones and other electronic communication devices. The use of cell phone, PDAs or similar electronic communication devices are not permitted during school from the beginning of the first instructional period through the end of the last instructional period. This includes between class periods, as well as on school-sponsored trips and “behind-the-wheel” driver education classes. “Using” refers to, not only the making and/or receiving of calls, but also using the device for any other purpose. During the instructional day, electronic communication devices may be used, with administrative permission, for emergencies only. The use of electronic communication devices while on school buses is strictly prohibited unless an emergency arises and students have permission from the bus driver. Electronic communication devices may be used if such devices are not capable of being used to communicate with any other device. This prohibition is not intended to prohibit students from using electronic communication devices for curricular purposes under the direction and supervision of a teacher. Devises that are confiscated will be locked in the office to be pick up by an adult.
EVACUATION PLAN
A school emergency evacuation plan has been enacted should an area emergency ever occur. Parents should not come to the school in the event of such an emergency, since the additional traffic might interfere with the evacuation plan itself. Parents will be made aware of the evacuation location through local radio broadcasts.
FIRE DRILLS
A minimum of 10 fire drills, 4 lockdown drills and 2 shelter-in-place drills will occur this school year.
STUDENT ASSISTANCE TEAM/ LSIC and PTO
S.A.T. - School Assistance Team. This team can involve the principal, the counselor, a teacher from each curriculum area (primary & intermediate), and possibly the social worker and/or health nurse. The team discusses and makes recommendations for retentions, absenteeism, tardiness, special resources needed, and special testing that may be needed. L.S.I.C. - Local School Improvement Council and is made-up of parents and staff for the improvement of curriculum, discipline and maintenance of the school. P.T.O. - Parent Teacher Organization is a great way to help support your child and school in too many ways to list. All bring a since of real school community to better the educational experiences for all students. Please get involved in any way you can!
FIELD TRIPS
Our students represent our school when they are taken on a field trip, therefore school rules must be followed and students are expected to show respect for teachers, fellow students, personnel and public property. Any student who fails to comply will not be allowed to go on future field trips. These rules and procedures will also apply to any activities held at the school during time outside of the instructional day. Parents must sign permission slips for pupils to go on all field trips. Students can, at the discretion of the office, lose the privilege to attend. Only approved chaperones are permitted to attend school field trips.
TRANSFERS
Please notify the school in advance if you plan to move. This will help make your transfer to the new school as smooth as possible.
PARTIES
The distribution of invitations to parties held outside school is permitted with these guidelines: one unsealed invitation per child, in the class they attend. This policy is the result of the experience that many times all children in a room do not receive invitations and are therefore disappointed.
PTO Homeroom Parents - will organize two classroom parties during the school year. Volunteers are needed for these parties. Refreshments for all classrooms will be planned at PTO meetings; these treats must meet all Federal, State and County guidelines.
Deliveries
Delivery of flowers or other gifts will not be made to students during the school day. Any deliveries will be kept in the office until the end of the day and given to the student as they exit the building. Please note that students riding the bus are not permitted to have glass, balloons or any other objects that might distracts the bus driver.
Student behavior
KANAWHA COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION POLICY
Student Behavior
Series: J25 file:///C:/Users/TFSUser/Downloads/J25%20-%20Student%20Behavior%20(1).pdf
Title I SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT
2023-2024 School Year
Midland Trail Elementary School and the parents of the students participating in activities, services, and programs funded
by Title I, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) agree that this compact outlines how the parents, the entire school staff, and the students will share the responsibility for improved student academic achievement and the means by which the school and parents will build and develop a partnership that will help children achieve the State’s high standards.
REQUIRED SCHOOL-PARENT COMPACT PROVISIONS
School Responsibilities
Midland Trail Elementary School will:
• Provide high-quality curriculum and instruction in a supportive and effective learning environment that enables the participating children to meet the States student academic achievement standards as follows:
1. Hold parent-teacher conferences during which this compact will be discussed as it relates to the individual child’s achievement. Specifically, those conferences will be held:
October 9, 2023.
2. Provide parents with frequent reports on their children’s progress. Specifically, the school will provide reports as follows: Success Maker data, DIBELS data, GSA data, Attendance Data, Progress reports, Kickboard Reports and Reading Level reports.
3. Provide parents reasonable access to staff. Specifically, staff will be available for consultation with parents as follows: Staff will return phone calls or emails within 24 business hours. Parents can email using the Schoology platform. We will have meetings on the teachers planning times as needed or requested.
4. Provide parents opportunities to volunteer and participate in their child’s class, and to observe classroom activities, as follows: We will have parent PTO homeroom parents and we need volunteers as well. We will have two open house nights, monthly birthday lunches, awards day and other planned events.
Parent Responsibilities
We, as parents, will support our children’s learning in the following ways:
• Communicate with school administration and teachers if questions or concerns arise during the school year.
• Monitoring attendance.
• Making sure that homework is completed.
• Support and monitor my child to maintain positive behavior.
• Volunteering in my child’s classroom.
• Participating, as appropriate, in decisions relating to my children’s education.
• Promoting positive use of my child’s extracurricular time.
• Staying informed about my child’s education and communicating with the school by promptly reading all notices from the school or the school district either received by my child or by mail and responding, as appropriate.
• Serving, to the extent possible, on committees and advisory groups, such as being a Title I, Part A, parent representative on the school’s School Improvement team, the School Support Team, or other school advisory or policy groups.
Student Responsibilities
We, as students, will share the responsibility to improve our academic achievement and achieve the State’s high standards. Specifically, we will:
• Do my homework every day and ask for help when I need to.
• Read at least 30 minutes every day outside of school time.
• Give to my parents or the adult who is responsible for my welfare all notices and information received by me from my school.
• Maintain appropriate care of my iPad and display good digital citizenship.
• Participate and work hard in class every day.
• Respect adults and my peers.
• Have a positive impact on my school by attending school events and becoming a member of a group or club.
Midland Trail Elementary School will also:
1. Involve parents in the planning, review, and improvement of the school’s parental involvement policy, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.
2. Involve parents in the joint development of any school wide program plan, in an organized, ongoing, and timely way.
3. Hold an annual meeting to inform parents of the school’s participation in Title I, Part A, programs, and to explain the Title I, Part a, requirements, and the right of parents to be involved in Title I, Part A, programs. The school will convene the meeting at a convenient time to parents and will offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening, so that as many parents as possible are able to attend.
The school will invite to this meeting all parents of children participating in Title I, Part A, programs and will encourage them to attend.
4. Provide information to parents in an understandable and uniform format, including alternative formats upon the request of parents with disabilities, and, to the extent practicable, in a language that parents can understand.
5. Provide to parents information in a timely manner about Title I, part A, programs that includes a description and explanation of the school’s curriculum, the forms of academic assessment used to measure children’s progress, and the proficiency levels students are expected to meet.
6. On the request of parents, provide opportunities for regular meetings for parents to formulate suggestions, and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school will respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible.
7. Provide to each parent an individual student report about the performance of their child on the State assessment in a least math, language arts, and reading.
8. Provide each parent timely notice when their child has been assigned has been taught for four (4) or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who is not fully certified.
Additional School Responsibilities
To help build and develop a partnership with parents to help their children achieve the State’s high academic standards,
Midland Trail Elementary School will:
1. Work with the Kanawha County Schools Title I Office in addressing problems, if any, in implementing parental involvement activities in §1118 of Title I, Part A.
2. Work with the Kanawha County Schools Title I Office to ensure that a copy of the SEA’s written complaint procedures for resolving any issue of violation(s) of a Federal statute or regulation of Title I, Part A, programs is available to parents of students.
School Representative: Grant Davis Date: 7/1/2023
Parent: __________________________ Date: _________________
Student: _________________________ Date: _________________
KCS Parent and Family Engagement Policy
The mission of Title I is to provide equitable opportunities for all students.
The vision of Title I - "We envision that the KCS Title I program will be all-encompassing and engaging for our students and school communities. Using relationships, collaboration, and data-driven instruction, students will show improvement in academics and social emotional learning. By 2027, all schools will provide equitable opportunities to produce successful scholars."
Kanawha County Schools Parent and Family Engagement Policy 2023 – 2024
Strong parental involvement is integral to success in Title I schools. Research demonstrates a clear correlation between the level of involvement of parents in a student’s education and academic performance in school.
Current law requires that parents be offered opportunities to participate in the education of their children as well as the opportunity for parent consultation in all required planning and development of Title I applications, schoolwide plans, and improvement plans for low-performing schools.
Districts and schools must adopt written parent and family engagement policies developed jointly with the parents of Title I students. Also, schools must adopt parent-school “compacts” and hold annual meetings for Title I parents.
In addition, schools have specific obligations to keep parents apprised of school performance, academic progress, teacher qualifications, and placement of English learners.
PART I: DISTRICT LEVEL ACTIVITIES
In support of strengthening student academic achievement, each school district that receives Title I, Part A funds shall develop and distribute to parents and family members of participating children a written parent and family engagement policy. To foster meaningful parent and family engagement, KCS agrees to implement the following:
- Provide programs, activities and procedures for the involvement of parents and family members in all of its schools with Title I programs with input from parents and family members.
- Work with its schools to ensure that school-level parent and family engagement policies meet the requirements of Title I including parent compacts.
- Include the district wide parent and family engagement policy into its district plan.
- Provide full opportunities for the informed participation of parent and family members by providing information and school reports in a language parents understand.
- Submit parent comments to the WV Department of Education when Title I plan is unsatisfactory.
- Involve the parents and family members of children served in Title I schools in decisions about how parent involvement funds are used.
- Support programs that reach parents and family members at home, in the community, and at school.
- Provide information on best practices focused on parent and family engagement to increase the engagement of economically disadvantaged parents and family members.
- Encourage schools to collaborate with community with the purpose of improving and increasing parent and family engagement.
- Provide coordination, technical assistance, and other support to assist Title I schools in planning and implementing effective parent and family involvement activities to improve student academic achievement and school performance.
- Parents will be invited to participate in the annual Superintendent’s Retreat to provide input into the district’s strategic plan and to review the district’s progress in meeting jointly established goals for all students.
- Provide support to the KCS Parent and Community Resource Center to better enable them to be a joint partner in parent and family engagement at the district and school levels.
- Annually publish a Parent and Student Handbook that contains information that is pertinent to their child’s participation in KCS schools.
- Maintain a website (https://kcs.kana.k12.wv.us/) that provides a link on the home page for parents and families (https://kcs.kana.k12.wv.us/Page/parents-and-family).
- Conduct surveys of parents of English Learner students to determine the need for translated documents and arrange for special assistance for non-English speaking parents such as translators.
- Engage in activities and strategies that KCS determines are appropriate and consistent with our parent and family engagement policy.
PART II: SCHOOL LEVEL ACTIVITIES
Parent representatives of students attending Title I schools will participate in the development of the school’s parent involvement policy through attendance at school sponsored parent and family engagement events and through participation on Title I schools’ parent groups such as Local School Improvement Councils.
- Each Local School Improvement Council will maintain parent representation to address school review and school improvement needs. The LSIC will participate in on-going school review and school improvement. Each school will also involve parents as part of their strategic plan committee.
- Parents in all Title I schools will be invited to offer input into parent involvement activities through the school’s annual strategic planning process and review through participation on the school’s LSIC, PTO/PTA organization, parent committees, or other means.
- Title I schools will conduct an annual fall meeting with parents and families to review parent and family school and district policies, parent compacts, required academic standards, school assessments and curriculums, and the performance status of the school based on the results of the State’s testing, discuss the requirements of Title I and the meaning of being a Title I schoolwide school, and review the opportunities for parent and family involvement at the school.
- Schools will conduct a variety of parent and family engagement and involvement activities where parents are invited to observe, monitor and discuss their child’ academic progress and progress along other indicators.
- Title I schools will provide materials and training to help parents work with their children to improve their children’s academic achievement, and to foster parental involvement including providing materials and supplies for use at home.
- Schools will communicate with parents and families through school handbooks, newsletters, and school websites. Parents also have access to Schoology to track their child’s progress and maintain contact with their child’s teacher(s).
PART III: ADOPTION
- This KCS district wide Parent and Family Engagement Policy has been developed jointly with, and agreed on with, parents and family members of children participating in Title I schools as evidenced by attendance of parents and family members at the March 2019 Superintendent’s Retreat. A list of attendees is available upon request from the KCS Title I Office 304-348-6165.
- This policy was adopted by the Kanawha County School District on July 9, 2019 and will be in effect for the period of school year 2023-2024. The school district will distribute this policy to all parents and family members of participating Title I children on or before October 1, 2023.
Please document where you have shared this. Sign, date, and fax to our office. 304-348-6151
Schoology, bulletin board, Website, or handbook.
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Procedures for the Investigation and Resolution of Complaints
Applicability
An individual or other eligible entity may submit a complaint to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) under these procedures regarding any of the following ESEA programs:
- Title I, Part A: Improving Basic Programs Operated by local educational agencies
- Title I Part D: Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk
Purpose
This document addresses the requirements of 20 USC §7844 and 20 USC §7883 for resolving complaints applicable to the federal programs identified above. A complaint may be submitted by any individual, group of individuals or organization, in-state or out-of-state, who alleges that a federal or state law, rule, or regulation has been violated by a local educational agency (LEA) or the WVDE. All complaints will be directed to, and reviewed by, the Executive Director of the WVDE Office of Federal Programs. The procedures set forth below will be used by the WVDE to investigate and resolve any complaint by an individual or organization.
Definitions
“Complaint” shall be defined as a signed, written statement by an individual, group of individuals or organization which alleges that a local educational agency or the state educational agency has violated a requirement of federal law that applies to No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110). The statement of complaint must identify the alleged violations of the law and include pertinent facts upon which the allegation is based. The complaint must allege a violation that occurred not more than 90 working days prior to the date that the complaint is received, unless a longer period is reasonable because the violation is considered systemic or ongoing. Written complaint statements must contain original signatures. Complaints that have been received via facsimile or email will not be accepted, as the document does not provide an original signature. If a complaint is filed on behalf of a student by an individual who is not the parent or legal guardian of the student, WVDE shall provide the complainant an opportunity to obtain parent/guardian release of information. Upon receipt of a signed, parental consent for release of information, the non-parent complainant will be entitled to a copy of the letter of findings upon the conclusion of the complaint investigation.
“Complainant” shall be defined as public agencies, teachers, administrators, parents, or other individuals and organizations. West Virginia Department of Education will not accept nor investigate allegations or violations from anonymous sources.
Timelines
West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Federal Programs shall investigate and resolve any written complaint within sixty (60) business days from the date the complaint is received unless “exceptional circumstances” justify an extension of the time limit. For the purposes of these procedures, the term “exceptional circumstances” means circumstances related to school closings, the volume of information/documentation submitted for review, the complexity of the issues, or the need for legal consultation. The amount of time to be granted for an exceptional circumstance shall be determined on an individual case basis. The district and complainant will be notified in writing of the time of the extension and the basis for the WVDE decision. Timelines shall not be extended for refusal or failure by the public agency to cooperate with the complaint investigation.
Procedures for Complaints Filed Regarding the Local Educational Agency
Should the SEA receive a complaint regarding a school and/or district issue, the complainant will first be asked if this complaint has been addressed at the LEA level. If not, the complainant will be referred to the respective school principal and LEA Title I director. The LEA will investigate and respond to the complaint in accordance with district policy and/or procedures. Therefore, complaints that originated at the local level shall not be filed with the West Virginia Department of Education until every effort has been made to resolve the issue through local complaint procedures. If the complaint is not resolved at the local level, the complainant shall submit a written complaint to the state educational agency in accordance with the information found in the definition section of this document.
Procedures for Complaints Filed at the State Educational Agency Level
- Registration of Complaints - Persons filing written complaints shall register such complaints with the Executive Director of the WVDE Office of Federal Programs. The written documentation shall be mailed to the following address:
Executive Director
West Virginia Department of Education Office of Federal Programs
Building 6 Room 330
1900 Kanawha Boulevard East Charleston, WV 25305
- Receipt of a Complaint - Upon receipt of a complaint, West Virginia Department of Education shall issue a letter of acknowledgement within ten (10) business days to the complainant that contains the following information:
- The date that WVDE received the complaint;
- The identity of the assigned complaint investigator(s);
- A verification of the complaint to be investigated;
- A request for additional information from the complainant and/or the LEA for the purposes of verifying the allegations. – In the event that the information is not submitted as requested, WVDE will investigate and issue the “Letter of Findings” based on the information at hand. Any information submitted to WVDE is subject to disclosure as part of the public record in accordance with WVBE Policy 1230: Freedom of Information Requests.
- A statement of the procedures in which WVDE may investigate the complaint;
- The WVDE’s commitment to issue a resolution in the form of a “Letter of Findings”.
If the complaint involves a local educational agency, a copy of the acknowledgement letter and the written complaint will be issued to the district superintendent.
- Assignment of an investigator - A complaints investigator will be assigned by the Executive Director of the Office of Federal Programs.
- Investigation - The West Virginia Department of Education, Office of Federal Programs shall investigate and resolve any written complaint within sixty (60) business days from the date the complaint is received unless “exceptional circumstances” justify an extension of the time limit. Complainant(s) will be notified, in writing, if exceptional circumstances exist requiring an extension of the sixty (60) day time period. (See Timeline section of this document.) The complaint investigator retains authority for determining how the allegations will be investigated. On site investigation may be announced or unannounced visits. The investigator may use, but is not limited to, the following investigative options:
- Review of submitted written documentation to determine whether the LEA has complied with the federal program in question;
- Request copies of existing documents;
- Request written responses to additional questions posed to the complainant in writing;
- Conduct telephone or person to person interviews with school officials, employees, student(s), the complainant or other relevant persons;
- Conduct an on-site investigation to gather additional information; Conduct an on-site visit for the purpose of providing the LEA and the complainant an opportunity to present additional information;
- Investigate using only one or a combination of any of the above options.
- Review of Information and Determination of Compliance or Non-Compliance - WVDE shall review the information at the conclusion of the final investigative procedures to determine if the public agency and/or individual(s) have violated federal law(s) regarding any of the following ESEA programs:
- Title I, Part A: Improving Basic Programs Operated by local educational agencies;
- Title I Part D: Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk;
- Issuance of “Letter of Findings” – Once determination is made, consistent with federal and/or state laws and/or procedures and policies, the complainant investigator shall issue a “Letter of Findings” to the named LEA, and a copy to the parent and complainant who has submitted the required confidentiality release. The “Letter of Findings” shall include the following information:
- A statement of the allegation(s) investigated;
- A statement of additional allegation(s) determined during investigation;
- Investigative procedures, findings of fact, and applicable federal and state laws;
- Conclusions for each of the investigated issues;
- Statement indicating the corrective action(s) which must be undertaken by the local educational agency to correct each identified violation of federal and/or state law and the timelines for implementing the corrective action(s); or
- A statement, supported with justification, that WVDE does not sustain the complaint.
- Implementation of Corrective Actions – WVDE shall require the local educational agency to submit documentation verifying the implementation of the corrective action(s) within thirty (30) business days following the date of issuance of the “Letter of Findings”. Timelines for completing corrective actions will only be extended in circumstances related to building/renovating classrooms, physical relocation of classes, reassignment/reorganization of personnel, employment of additional personnel or unforeseen circumstances (e.g. natural disasters). A request for an extension of timelines shall be made within ten (10) business days of the issuance of the “Letter of Findings”.
- Review of Corrective Action Documentation – Within ten (10) business days of receipt of the documentation, WVDE shall approve appropriate actions, negotiate and approve a request for extension because portions of the corrective action have not been implemented for reasons stated in section G, and/or disapprove inadequate actions. If the documentation is approved, WVDE shall provide the local educational agency confirmation that the documentation is acceptable, and the case is closed. If the documentation is disapproved, the local educational agency shall complete additional actions required by WVDE on or before the date specified in a written notice. Documentation of the implementation of further actions shall be submitted to WVDE by the date specified. WVDE reserves the right to conduct announced or unannounced visits to confirm compliance. Once the additional documentation is approved, WVDE shall provide the local educational agency confirmation that the documentation is acceptable, and the case is closed.
- Complaint Closure – WVDE shall issue a “Letter of Closure” to the complainant and the local educational agency upon acceptance of the local educational agency’s documentation of the implementation of corrective action.
Appeal of Resolution of Complaints Relating to Participation of Private School Children
For complaints filed as an alleged violation of 20 USC §7883, (participation by private school children and teachers) the resolution may be appealed by an interested party to the Secretary of Education (U.S. Department of Education) in accordance with 20 USC §7883 and any applicable procedures of the U.S. Department of Education.
Discrimination Prohibited and Title IX Guidelines, is as follows:
As required by federal laws and regulations, the Kanawha County Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, disability, marital status, age or national origin in its employment practices or in the administration of any of its education program and activities. Inquiries may be directed to Sam Hill Title IX Coordinator, Kanawha County Board of Education, 200 Elizabeth Street, Charleston, WV 25311-2119, phone 348-1379 ; to Lauren Winter, Section 504 Coordinator, Kanawha County Board of Education, 200 Elizabeth Street, Charleston, WV 25311-2119, phone 348-1366; to Elimination of Sex Discrimination Program Coordinator, 558-7864 or the U.S. Department of Education’s Director of the Office of Civil Rights, (215)596-6795.
I have read this handbook, Title I information and discussed it with my child and understand the contents.
Please detach, sign, and return this page to school. It will be kept on file.
Parent: _________________________
Child: __________________________
Teacher: ________________________
Date: ________________
If you have any questions please call the school.
304-949-1823
Midland Trail Elementary School
Strategic Plan 2023-2024
Mission: Midland Trail Elementary students are moving toward excellence with the help of staff, family, and community.
Vision: the vision of Midland Trail Elementary is for the WHOLE child to come first.
Goal 1:
Reading Goal: Students will show an average of .6 growth on SuccessMaker by the end of the 2023-2024 school year.
Performance Measure: Instruction
Strategy: Master Schedule
Action Steps:
- The leadership team will create a master schedule that will maximize classroom instruction of RLA.This will include core instruction and Guided Reading.
Strategy: Guided Reading- Instruction
Action Steps:
- Principal will create a documentthat will need to be filled out by staff with the student’s progress in Guided Reading
Strategy: Walkthroughs
Action Steps:
- Principal will document walkthroughs in the classrooms and provide feedback.
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Goal 2:
Math Academic Goal: Students will show an average of .6 growth on SuccessMaker by the end of the 2023-2043 school year.
Performance Measure: Instruction, Math Benchmark, SuccessMaker
Strategy: Master Schedule
Action Steps:
- The leadership team will create a master schedule that will maximize classroom instruction of Math.This will include core instruction and Guided Math.
Strategy: Math Benchmark
Action Steps:
- Students will take benchmarks throughout the year to measure progress.Staff will bring data to monitoring meetings.Data will guide instruction and groupings
Strategy: Math Benchmark Gains
Action Step: School will implement the county wide adopted math program (SuccessMaker)
Goal 3:
SEL Goal: Students will show 5% growth by the end of the year (2023-2024) on the SEL Panorama survey for 3rd-5th grade in the Emotion Regulation.
Performance Measure: Kickboard, Schoology, Panorama Survey, 2nd Step Program
Strategy: Using technology to help culture
Action Steps:
- Culture Connection:Schoology
- Home School Technology Connection
Strategy: WVDE Survey
Action Steps:
- Survey Distribution
Strategy: Team Building
Action Steps:
- Team PD
Strategy: Master Schedule Developed
Action Steps:
- Creating a master schedule to provide times for expanded counseling opportunities
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Goal 4:
Family Engagement: Midland Trail Elementary will increase the opportunities for family engagement for the school community. Family engagement opportunities will increase by 25% by the end of the 2023-2024 school year as compared to the number of family engagement opportunities offered during the 2022-2023 school year.
Strategy: Family participation in engagement activities and events.
Action Step:
- School leadership teams will collaborate to plan a variety of engagement activities and/or events
Strategy: Family participation in school communication methods
Action Step:
- Families will be engaged with Midland Trail Elementary via multiple communication methods: Kickboard, Schoology, Facebook, home flyers, etc.
Strategy: Family participation in educational decision making
Action Step:
- Families will be engaged in individual decision making opportunities for their child/children (Parent Teacher Conferences, SAT meetings, 504/IEP meetings)
- Families will be engaged in school based decision making opportunities (LSIC)