March 22, 2007
Dear Strategic Plan Team,
The Safe & Orderly Action Team thanks you for having the vision to create, first and foremost, our strategy. We believe our strategy, Work in partnership with families and community agencies to develop a support system to ensure that students’ basic needs are met, is the foundation upon which all the other strategies are built. Essentially, students’ basic needs must be met before learning can occur.
Our Action Team is comprised of 17 active members. We met as a team on six occasions to take part in the action planning process. It was obvious by their participation and commitment that our team members are passionate about our strategy. Based on brainstorming during our organizational meeting in November, the Safe & Orderly Action Team quickly decided to use “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” as our framework. Our action team’s charge was to insure that each student attending Boyle County Schools was able to come to school daily with his/her physiological needs, safety needs, and belongingness needs being met. It is difficult for a hungry child, an abused child, and impoverished child, a sick child, a disturbed child, a frightened child, an angry child to receive a quality education without first removing these barriers.
Attached are our team’s 12 action plans. There is an abundance of research, as well as local data, supporting the need for the varied action plans created to fulfill our strategy. Consider the following... The percent of BCS students qualifying for the free/reduced lunch program has increased in the past ten years from 25.9% to 33.8% percent. Twenty-eight BCHS students dropped out of school during the 2005-2006 school year. Fifty-nine students received home school instruction during the 2005-2006 school year. Bullying is considered problematic by our students in each of our schools. Recent Safe School Assessment Report surveys showed that 36.8% of JCES students and 38.6% of WES students had been bullied or threatened at school this year. National statistics indicate that one in five students (20%) experience signs and symptoms of a mental health problem during an academic year; the equivalent of 2-3 students with serious emotional problems in every classroom. Unfortunately, only one out of five students needing mental health intervention receives services.
The good news is that we know with appropriate interventions, barriers to learning can be greatly reduced, if not removed. Learning occurs only once students are fed, clothed, sheltered, safe, well-behaved, appropriately taught, mentally/physically/emotionally healthy, and accepted by others. In other words, learning occurs when our action team’s 12 specific results are met. If learning is NOT an option, then meeting students’ basic needs is also not an option.
The Safe & Orderly Action Team appreciates your thoughtful and comprehensive consideration of our action plans. These plans are, after all, the building blocks that lead to education.
____________________________________ __________________________________
LuAnne Littlefield Pam Tamme
Co-Facilitators, Safe & Orderly Action Team
Safe & Orderly Action Team Members
Will Begley, BCHS
Sheila Blandford, JCES & PES
Sherry Bodner, BCHS
Barbara Eisenbeis, BCMS
Judy Ellis, Central Office
LuAnne Littlefield, Bruce Hall
Kristen Lucas, JCES
Ann McAnly, BCHS
Susan Montgomery, Central Office
Bridget Mountjoy, JCES
Debbie Mullaney, PES
Tina Rice, PES
Carolyn Robinette, WES
Dudley Spoonamore, BCHS
Pam Tamme, Bruce Hall
Kim Webb, BCMS
Tina Wray, BCHS
MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
SELF-ESTEEM & ACTUALIZATION
Where learning and education occur when a person’s basic needs are met
BELONGINGNESS NEEDS
Love, support, guidance, encouragement, positive relationships, nurturance, emotional needs, attendance, valued by others
SAFETY NEEDS
“Anything” that interferes with learning
Shelter, clothing, “peace of mind”, safe home/school/community, security, discipline
PHYSIOLOGICAL NEEDS
Food, water, sleep, health-medical |
