Hayesville Elementary School Decorate Pumpkins for the Harvest Celebration
Clay County Schools, Community October 4, 2022
2021-2022 School Calendar
Clay County Schools December 6, 2021
2021-2022 School Calendar
Date are subject to change due to inclement weather or other school closures.
Change: December 22nd is a Remote Instruction Day.
NO STUDENT WILL ATTEND SCHOOL FACE-TO-FACE THAT DAY.
State exams proficiency scores promising for Clay Schools
News September 29, 2021
HAYESVILLE, N.C. – Clay County Schools did see a 15 percent proficiency drop, but state exams also has them performing better than others in the district.
Superintendent Dale Cole joked this was the happiest he’d been with a proficiency deficit.
Between 2018-2019 and 2020-2021, Hayesville Elementary dropped 11 percent, but that also placed them as fifth in the west. There are 18 elementary schools in the district.
Hayesville Middle School came out on top from pre-pandemic to post-pandemic scores. They did drop in proficiency by almost 10 percent, but everyone else experienced a larger deficit.
Hayesville High School came in third and lost eight percentage points. Murphy High School only lost one percentage point.
Clay County Schools state exams proficiency compared to others in the district.
Overall, Clay County Schools lost 15 percent and came in second place overall.
In 18-19, Clay County School System ranked ninth out of the 12 WRESA Districts and came in at N.C. State exact average marker.
In 20-21, the school system ranked fourth out of 12 and was 5.4 percent above state average. They had the second lowest proficiency drop overall.
“Our board worked very hard to get kids back in school,” Superintendent Dale Cole explained. “Now granted, all of that time has been with a mask mandate, but that’s what allowed us to get kids back in school sooner. We put the priority, or you guys put the priority, on face-to-face instruction which we knew all along was going to far outperform virtual instruction.”
COVID-19 Numbers
For two weeks, the totals in Clay County have continued to drop. The total number of staff and students quarantined or isolated was 104, down significantly from the high of 300.
Adult to student transmission is the highest area of concern at this time.
The board opted to continue with current COVID-19 protocols and look into possible adjustments in October.
https://youtu.be/1mljfulnkgs
Mask requirement extended at Clay County Schools
Clay County Schools, News September 8, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC: At the called meeting on September 7, the Clay County Board of Education decided to continue the mask mandate until the COVID-19 numbers decrease.
The decision was unanimous.
The board will review the policy every month. NC General Assembly issued two policy options for school systems regarding masks, but one must be approved every month. Option A is a mask mandate, and option B is guidelines for mask optional protocols.
Superintendent Dale Cole recommended the mask requirement continue for the time due to COVID-19 numbers.
The original mandate was initiated on August 18.
The first three weeks of classes indicated COVID-19 quarantines have almost every week. Children’s positive cases grew significantly week over week, with 17 positive students on week one, 26 week two, and 45 week three. Staff positive cases have remained constant for the time being at three total.
Superintendent Cole explains the cumulative COVID-19 numbers.
The schools did rework their lunchroom protocol and seating to prevent possible exposures during lunchtime. As of week three, 74 students were exposed during lunch.
In the high school, 77 students (over 20 percent) were in quarantine. The middle school has 60 in quarantine.
Teachers have expressed the difficulty of teaching students remotely and in person, and some feel that masks are necessary right now. However, all enjoy being back in the classroom with students and instructing face to face.
Additionally, the board approved the recommendation to let the superintendent shut down a school or make it virtual without calling a board of education meeting. The measure deals specifically with a public health emergency.
“As long as we have staff available…we can have school for 10 kids if that’s all we have. The problem is when we don’t have the staff to monitor the safety of the students,” Superintendent Cole explained.
Cole feels like having school virtual is better than not having school at all. Virtual might be the best option for specific situations if a teacher can work while in quarantine.
The majority of substitutes are older and are unsure about entering a school system during the pandemic. Additionally, each school typically needs a certain amount of substitutes each day on a typical day.
Online learning deadline extended until August 27
Business August 24, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – Clay County Board of Education opted to allow parents who wanted to move their children to online learning can do so until August 27.
Councilmember Kelly Crawford made the motion to extend until the 27 after some discussion on the best date. It was a unanimous vote.
“I want to reiterate with that, that’s it unless there’s a medical exemption. Once [parents or students] do that, they’re remote all fall,” Crawford clarified.
Initially, parents had until August 18 to move their children to online learning. Since that date, six parents came forward asking for the option. Three requests came from the elementary school, two from the middle school, and one from the high school.
The school system instated a mask requirement for students on August 18, 2021, before they returned in the fall.
“Our data shows that most of our kids are not successful fully remote, so that’s upfront. About 15 percent of our students have shown that they can be successful or have the support structure necessary to be successful in a fully remote environment,” Superintendent Dale Cole commented.
He added his recommendation that if the board lengthened the remote option, students must be remote for the entire semester. The back and forth between online and in-person creates additional stressors on students and teachers.
“When we voted to provide remote learning, it was going to be conditional for those who truly needed this option and not for those just wanted it to opt out of class for some reason,” Councilmember Reba Beck stated, “that doesn’t seem to be an issue.”
The move doesn’t apply to children in quarantine—the school system’s required by law to instruct the students who must quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure. Also, approved medical waivers let students enter homebound instruction based on their needs.
Clay County Board of Education voted to move law firms concerning foreclosure notices in the county. The previous firm wasn’t providing efficient communication concerning issues such as land foreclosures in the area. No one at the firm has responded to an email since February 2021.
The administration is in talks to hire a new firm out of Ashville, NC.
Public voice their opinions concerning social studies standards
News August 4, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – Some members of Clay County spoke out against Critical Race Theory (CRT) in schools and the new social studies standards.
Three different parents and grandparents expressed concerns over the direction of state standards and curriculum.
David Johnson who gave a 10-minute presentation of the issues, cited conservative think-tank, Fordham Institute, researching about the new social studies and history curriculum. According to Fordham, North Carolina’s new civics and history standards are “inadequate” and “organization is poor throughout.” The organization recommended a rewrite of the standards. The U.S. History standards were assigned an “F.”
According to the Department of Public Instruction, North Carolina has never received a score higher than a “D” from the institute.
State Superintendent Truitt had frustrations with how the standards are laid out and believes they need to focus on certain individuals and events in history, not concepts. She also was displeased with the thematic rather than chronological focus.
Johnson also spoke about the 1619 Project and CRT, “We believe in and support the teachings of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream that people should not be judged based on the color of their skin, but on the content of your character…CRT believes that racism advanced the interest of whites, and whites are incapable of righteous actions on race and only undo racism when it benefits them. Consequently, CRT divides America into two groups, the oppressor which are whites, and the oppressed which are blacks and people of color.”
Some local parents are concerned the tenants in CRT will filter into Clay County Schools, not necessarily under the name of CRT, but under another guise. They ask that the Clay County Board of Education stand against racist and Marxist indoctrination.
CRT first appeared in law schools 40 years ago and does examine systemic racism. Within the theory, race is treated as a social construct, and racism isn’t just a personal bias but engrained in organizations. CRT scholars attempt to understand how systemic racism affects its victims.
Superintendent Dale Cole had previously prepared a presentation on the new standards for the board before people asked to speak.
Before launching into the presentation, Cole stated that as a private citizen he “concurred with all the concerns he heard here tonight.”
Still as a Superintendent and school system, “state standards are state standards,” and the board’s only influence on standards is as private citizens. People can contact Senator Corbin, Representative Gillespie, Governor Cooper, and Superintendent Truitt.
The new standards were intended to go into effect last year, but the political environment stalled the installation of the standards. The new social studies curriculum went through several iterations and two state board of education votes before final approval in Spring of 2021.
“The state does not provide a curriculum. Curriculum is a local board of education authority along with the teachers and principals,” Cole explained. He added it would be unfair to teachers to move forward on the new standards until they’ve had time to study them.”
Cole also believed that everything at the state level is still being decided and could change. It turned out the Clay County Superintendent was correct because on August 4, Superintendent Truitt announced he would ask the State Board of Education to revise how the state sets standards.
The move won’t affect the new social studies or existing standards.
For now, Clay County Schools will continue with the 2010 social studies standards. This policy is par for the course for Clay County Schools. They also announce any new curriculum units for public review and feedback at least 30 days before adopting the new measures.
North Carolina doesn’t have a statewide test for social studies so that provides school systems more leeway with curriculum in the classroom.
End of Year Assessments demonstrate marked improvement for CSS
Clay County Schools, News June 8, 2021
HAYESVILLE, Ga – Following a year of unknowns, students in Clay County Schools showed resiliency and ability to bounce back despite the pandemic.
At the start of the year, diagnostic tests revealed that online learning had significantly affected math scores. Some grades were more affected than others. Principals from each school presented the end of the year assessments for reading and math.
In K-2, overall, the scores increased in tier 1 (proficient or exceeding grade level) from 32 to 69 percent and tier 3 (at-risk) students dropped from 6 to 3 percent. Kindergarten jumped to 95 percent in tier 1 and the goal is typically 80 percent of students at proficiency.
In Math, proficiency for K-2 increased from 19 to 66 percent and at-risk students dropped from 5 to 2 percent.
At the elementary schools, grades 3-5, tier 1 grew from 35 percent to 57 percent and tier 3 shrank from 28 to 15 percent. Third grade reading proficiency reached 81 percent, up from 47 percent at the start of the year. Fourth grade reading demonstrated some improvement but continues to have opportunities for enhancement. Tier 1 increased from 28 percent to 47 percent. Fifth grade reading in tier 1 increased from 35 to 45 percent. It also has areas for growth available.
Overall math placement showed marked improvement with proficiency growing from 17 to 58 percent at the beginning of the year. At risk students dropped from 29 to 8 percent by the end of the year. Third grade math jumped from 12 percent on grade level to 66 percent on grade level. Fourth grade math ended the year with 61 percent proficient and only 7 percent at risk. At the start of the year, 43 percent of fourth grade students were at risk in math. Fifth grade math ended with 49 percent of students on grade level and 13 percent at risk.
Hayesville Middle School completed the I-Ready diagnostic before Spring Break, so a little earlier than the primary and elementary schools. Principal Heather Plemmons spoke about the need to find methods to properly motivate middle school students to complete and do well on tests. She thinks the approach to motivating children needs to improve to alleviate diagnostic stagnation.
Overall placements for students in reading indicated a decrease in tier 1 from 42 to 40 percent. Tier 3 grew from 34 to 40 percent. The data compared to middle of the year data to end of the year data. Seventh grade demonstrated some tier 1 gains in reading, but sixth and eighth remained almost the same.
Math indicated a slight gain in tier 1 with an increase of 2 percent from 33 to 35 percent. At risk students decreased by 1 percent. Sixth grade math had the biggest improvement with 39 percent testing at proficiency up from 29 percent. Seventh grade proficiency decreased from 36 to 32 percent and at-risk students increased from 32 to 36 percent. The students three or more grade levels behind grew by 10 percent. Eighth grade had another slight increase in proficiency from 32 percent to 36 percent and at risk dropped from 46 to 38 percent.
Around 15 remote learning students at the middle school often opted to not take the diagnostic tests. Most likely, they didn’t have anyone ensuring they took the test. Clay County Schools only had students in person for four days a week for one period and hopefully, next school year, it will be easier to find struggling students.
Clay County Schools Outlines Summer Learning Program
Clay County Schools May 5, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – At the April board of education meeting, the basic structure of the 2021 Summer Learning Program was presented.
Clay County Schools opted for 30 days of instructional learning with the first half running through June 14 to July 2. The week of July 5 to 9 will be a vacation and the second half will be from July 12 to 30. The timetable provides a little break until the new school year begins.
Bus transportation will be provided. Breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge.
The summer program was mandated by Governor Roy Cooper and North Carolina General Assembly earlier in the year. It will work in conjunction with the summer Read to Achieve Program. Funds for the classes will come from Federal CARES Act funds and the $35,000 for Read to Achieve.
Students at-risk for retention will be the first to be contacted about entering the program. Later if any spots are still available, then other students can sign up. Currently, it’s difficult to determine how many students will be at-risk because class is still in session and state testing hasn’t begun. Those numbers should be available next meeting.
Also, licensed teachers capable of face-to-face instruction must agree to work over the summer.
The goals of the Summer Learning Program are to close the achievement gaps caused by the pandemic, give students a chance to catch up to the next grade level, provide social and emotional support, and offer food security to those enlisted.
The focus for kindergarten through eighth grade will be on reading, math, science, physical activity, and one enrichment class.
As for the high school, an in-person licensed instructor must teach students who failed biology, English 2, and/or math 3. Credit recovery courses will also be available for other classes, but an in-person instructor isn’t required. High school students will also have a physical activity class.
Certified staff will be paid $40 per hour and those with the National Board Certification will be eligible for a $1,200 bonus as required by law. A high-growth teacher identified by student testing will also be eligible for the bonus. Classified full and part-time staff will receive $20 per hour. 12-month staff are on normal salary because they report whether students are there or not.
Clay County Schools choose 2021-2022 school calendar
Clay County Schools, News March 29, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – Clay County School Board approved option two for the 2021-2022 school calendar during the March meeting.
Option two aligns Spring Break 2022 with other school districts in the area including Cherokee, Graham, and Swain counties. It also falls on the week before Easter. The Friday, April 8 before Spring Break week will be included and Friday, April 15 will be listed as the Good Friday holiday.
The Fall Semester will be 81 days and the Spring Semester will be 97 days for a total of 178 student days. The reason for the shorter Fall Semester is so testing can be completed before the December holidays.
16 staff workdays, 10 annual leave days, and 11 holidays are included in the calendar.
The first day of school is scheduled for August 23, 2021.
The 2021 graduation plan was also approved for Friday, June 4 at 6 p.m. at the football field. The outdoor location will allow for more people to participate in the ceremony. If it rains on Friday, then Saturday will be the new date.
Budget Proposal
Clay County Schools plans to ask the county for $250,000 in additional funds for preventative and routine maintenance. The school district will need to present its budget plan to the county commission before approval. Capital outlay funds requests for 2021/2022 total $283,566 and include $52,800 for the old elementary school demo, $15,425 for a fire alarm system in the middle school gym, $18,557 to replace tiles in the kitchen and dining area, $93,094 for paving and grading the rock gym parking areas, and $103,690 for middle school gym floor replacement.
The reason for the increase in capital outlay projects from the county is the school system can’t receive state lottery funds for five years because of the new primary school. Clay County Schools is currently two years into the five.
Alcohol and suicide prevention protocols implemented in Clay County Schools
Clay County Schools, News February 22, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – Clay County Board of Education approved new alcohol prevention curriculum and procedure as well as a suicide protocol during the February meeting.
The state required school districts to adopt and implement both protocols this year. The multifaceted alcohol program ended up being funded by Clay County Alcohol board. It cost $15,428. Centered around alcohol prevention and mental health, Counselor Quincey Rickett developed a four-pronged program for students in k-12. A new curriculum called “Too Good for Drugs and Alcohol” has coursework for students from kindergarten to twelfth grade with additional tools for the older children.
Next, the school purchased DESSA as a universal mental health services screener to assist in evaluating emotional and social health of students.
A set of STEM materials and activities for students to participate in is being developed. Education literature for children and parents is being purchased.
The money granted from the alcohol board may also be recurring to help cover costs in the future.
As for the suicide protocol, Clay County Schools are adopting measures for students and faculty to report any student potentially expressing suicidal thoughts.
Students are asked to inform the closest faculty member if a fellow classmate confides in them that they are contemplating suicide. While reporting to the teacher, the student should try their best to keep the other student within their sight. If it happens outside of school, report it on the See Something app. The school doesn’t want texts or emails.
Once a faculty or staff member is informed, they are asked to supervise the potentially suicidal student and report it to the school screener. If they can’t supervise the student, they should call in another faculty or staff member to assist.
If the school screener is absent, then the building level administrator will call in another school screener.
If both school screeners are out, then the social worker will be brought in and if none of the above are available, the school psychologist will be contacted.
Once the authorized personnel is with the student, they will administer the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale assessment with the child.
Parents will be notified immediately, and the school will provide the family with the proper referral for the situation. They will also work to create a safety plan for the student.
Superintendent Dale Cole said, “I think this is great work and something that NC schools have needed to do for years.”
He relayed his personal story of once being a principal at a high school that had three suicides in three years. While there, the school had to independently develop a protocol for students and teachers to follow.
Clay County Schools learning diagnostics demonstrate marked improvement
Clay County Schools, News February 14, 2021
HAYESVILLE, NC – The first I-Ready diagnostic showcased the learning loss impact associated with online learning, but the mid-year tests displayed across the board improvements.
At Hayesville Primary, the tier three students, or those at least two years below grade level, decreased by three percent from the August diagnostics in reading. The students at or above grade level, tier one, increased by 10 percent in reading. First grade reading earned the greatest increase by 11 percent.
At the halfway mark, reading was a little behind on median progress at 38 percent. Typically, the administration likes to be at 50 percent at this time of year.
In grade kindergarten through second math, the tier three students dropped by eight percent, and the tier one students increased by eight percent. The median growth for math was slightly higher than reading at 41 percent.
The primary school also implemented new reading and math curriculum this year. Test scores tend to drop during curriculum application years.
Superintendent Dale Cole reminded everyone that last year from March on all students were fully remote and they started the 2020-2021 school year with only two days of in-person learning. Later in the Fall term, North Carolina moved to four days of in-person instruction with one remote day.
Hayesville Elementary School, grades three through five grew into tier one by 17 percent and shrunk tier three by nine percent. Third grade significantly expanded tier one from 39 to 72 percent in reading. As for math, tier three students dropped by 12 percent and tier one increased by 20 percent overall. Fourth grade math reduced tier three students by 28 percent, moving several students out of the at least two years below grade level category.
At the Hayesville Middle School, they too saw a drop in tier three students by five percent overall in reading. Seventh grade achieved the biggest increase to tier one by 11 percent. In math, tier three decreased by 4 percent overall. Sixth grade experienced the most significant drop in tier three while seventh grade substantially grew into tier 1. However, eighth grade tests appeared stagnant due to difficulty getting students to participate, only 61 of 95 students took the I-Ready diagnostic.
Hayesville Middle Assistant Principal Heather Plemmons commented, “If the pandemic has shown use anything, it’s the value of teachers.”
Assistant Principal Heather Plemmons
The high school presented the fall term end of course test (EOC) scores in biology, English, math, and ACT/Workkey. In biology, 57 students took the test and 56.14 percent were proficient. Out of that number, 21 were predicted to not meet the standards. The school looked into the four people who were expected to test well and found that 2 were remote students.
In english II, 39 students took the EOC and 38.46 tested proficient. Three more were expected to earn a passing grade and one of those was a remote student.
14 students sat for the math I EOC and 42.86 percent were proficient. Five other students were predicted to test well, and two of those were remote. In math III, 81.82 percent earned a proficient score with eight more students expected to pass but did not. Two of those students were remote.
The ACT/Workkeys had a 74.68 percent proficiency which was a 13 percent increase over a two-year period.
All schools are working to continue to improve students’ knowledge and test scores through after school tutoring and check-ins. The high school also has mentoring programs with 12 mentors and 78 students participating. A credit recovery program is also in place for high school students that didn’t pass their EOC. Essentially, under the guidance of a teacher, students can work on the standard that they didn’t earn a passing score, and retest just for proficiency in that standard. The program keeps students on track to graduate.
Clay County Board of Education members sworn in
Clay County Schools, Community, News December 28, 2020
HAYESVILLE, NC – The two reelected board of education members, Danny Jones and Reba Beck took their oath of office during the December 14, 2020 meeting.
District Court Judge Tessa Sellers administered the oath. Jones and Beck swore to uphold the Constitution of the Unites States and North Carolina. They also promised to uphold their offices as board of education members.
Superintendent Dale Cole attended the meeting virtually after being advised to quarantine by the health department.
Meeting business
Cole thanked the Clay County Historical and Arts Council for bringing culture and enlightenment to students.
The school district is also looking to consolidate technology used between teachers and parents by moving to Edlio Engage App. It’s a source of two-way communication between teachers, parents, and students. Edlio can also translate from English to Spanish, eliminating some of the lost in translation issues. A new website is also in development to provide a more user-friendly experience for visitors.
The board implemented a new school mental-health policy that was required by the state. The focus of the policy is on the whole child, not just education, but physical, mental, environmental, and education. The district previously hired four counselors for each school and a social worker. With the extra stressors of 2020, students greatly benefited from having counselors to speak with.
Clay County School Board meeting dates for 2020
Clay County Schools, Community December 28, 2020
HAYESVILLE, Ga – The Clay County Board of Education approved the 2021 board meeting schedule.
The meetings will continue to take place on the fourth Monday at 6 p.m. in the board of education office. The meetings will also be broadcast on the school’s YouTube channel.
The schedule is as follows:
- January 25
- February 22
- March 22
- April 26
- May 24
- June 28
- July 26
- August 23
- September 27
- October 25
- November 22
- December 13
Innovating the classroom during COVID-19
Clay County Schools, Community November 28, 2020
Hayesville, NC – During the coronavirus pandemic, teachers are Clay County Schools (CCS) are finding new methods to safely educate their students. At the November 2020 school board meeting, sixth grade teacher Ginger Scerri and eighth grade teacher Amanda Gaddis Coker presented the Clay County Outdoor Classroom Project and Go Grant.
Scerri shared her views that children can benefit from a change of scenery during the day. Also, health officials have advocated getting outside to combat COVID-19. She received permission to start a GoFundMe for the outdoor classroom project earlier in the year to develop two separate spaces.
The two outdoor classrooms will be in areas that all schools can use and will be graveled off. In total, the areas will have 24 heavy duty tables and 8 benches. The equipment will come from school outfitters and are made of metal as well as a high-gloss thermoplastic finish. Each table costs $959 and each bench costs $381.
Area one is adjacent to the Hayesville Middle School library and the Hayesville Elementary School. It would hold 12 tables and 8 benches. The area total to be fundraised for these items combined is $14,556.
Area One
Area two is along the wall of the central office and at the center of Hayesville Middle School and Hayesville High School grounds. 12 tables would go in this area. The area total to be fundraised for these items combined is $11,508.
The GoFundMe raised $9,581 and the NC Schools Go Outside (GO) Grant contributed $14,950 for a total of $24,531. The GO grant is designed to get children outside during the school day and provide access to field study locations. The grant money purchased 16 tables and 4 benches for the outdoor classrooms.
“We want to walk out the other side of this thing better than we started,” Superintendent Dale Cole stated about COVID-19. He also commended these teachers for finding ways to innovate during the pandemic.
Area Two
Clay County Schools on a two-hour delay for December 1
Clay County Schools, Community November 30, 2020