www.newrivervalley.com

Three elementary school children were struck by a car this morning in Pulaski, but none of them were badly hurt, police said.

The children, two 6-year-old girls and an 8-year-old girl, were hit about 7:50 a.m. as they waited for the school bus at the intersection of Commerce and Bertha Streets S.W., Pulaski police Chief Gary Roche said.

A rescue squad checked out the children, Roche said. Two were unhurt, he said, and the third was taken to Pulaski Community Hospital with a minor knee injury.
The 16-year-old driver of the vehicle had failed to adequately clear icy frost from the windows and didn’t see the children in the street as she made a right turn onto Bertha, Roche said.

The vehicle was moving slowly when it struck the children, he said.
The children were being watched by at least two of their guardians at the time, Roche said.

The driver, whom Roche didn’t name becuase of her age, was charged with having defective equipment and could face another charge.

-- Shawna Morrison

Students in Fairlawn spent their final day at the old Riverlawn Elementary School today. For the last hour of the day, the more than 300 students at the school traveled by bus to the new school, which is slated to open for classes on Monday.

Teachers already have started moving in their belongings, but today the students toted desks' full of books and materials to their new classroom.

Students have the day off school Friday, and school officials will spend Friday and the weekend putting finishing touches on the building. Superintendent Don Stowers said today that he expects some work to continue while students are in the new school.

An open house for parents and students is set for 2 p.m. Sunday, with a separate open house for the public next week.

For about two hours, both Shawsville Elementary School and Shawsville Middle School have been without power. The schools' facilities department has notified American Electric Power, which said they had outages reported elsewhere in the community.

Some after-school activities at the school have been canceled.

RADFORD — Radford City’s school board would eliminate three part-time positions, cut back hours for others and eliminate summer school under a $13.5 million draft operating budget finally reviewed Tuesday.
The school division expects to lose $650,000 in funding in the coming year, according to Superintendent Chuck Bishop.

And that includes federal stimulus money, which he said isn’t the remedy that was expected.
“The reality is, it will save a few jobs, it’s not going to save ‘em all.” Bishop said.
Most of that money is for the current year, not the coming years, he said, and no one knows how divisions can use the money that will be available in the next biennium, he said.
Vice-chairman G. Lynn Burriss told Bishop he might have to look at requiring employees to pay $40 each month for single health insurance. Right now, the district picks up 100 percent of the basic “Key Advantage 500” plan.

The proposed budget also leaves two special education spots vacant, reduces the hours of library aides and five bus drivers, cuts part-time music and physical education instructors, cuts Stanford 9/10 student exams.

The budget has “no wiggle room,” Bishop said. He told board members if a teachers became ill and the district had to pay both medical leave and a long-term substitute, it will mean a deficit.

The board’s next meeting is 6 p.m. March 24.

Every once in a while during the past few years I've received a list similar to this.  I doubt its accuracy, but as overworked as I hear some teachers are, who knows.

This one allegedly comes from teachers in New York City schools.

Teachers, tell me what you think. Have you been tempted?
These are actual comments made on students' report cards by teachers in the New York City public school system. All teachers were reprimanded (but, boy, are these funny!)

1. Since my last report, your child has reached rock bottom and has started to dig.

2. I would not allow this student to breed.

3. Your child has delusions of adequacy.

4. Your son is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.

5. Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.

6. The student has a 'full six-pack' but lacks the plastic thing to hold it all together.

7. This child has been working with glue too much.

8. When your daughter's IQ reaches 50, she should sell.

9. The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.

10. If this student were any more stupid, he'd have to be watered twice a week.

11. It's impossible to believe the sperm that created this child beat out 1,000,000 others.

12. The wheel is turning but the hamster is definitely dead.

When Fred Morton leaves Henrico County Schools, he'll take over the helm of the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School for Government and International Studies.

Morton preceded Superintendent Tiffany Anderson.

A full story is here.

A former substitute teacher's aide at Christiansburg High School has filed a defamation suit against Montgomery County Public Schools.

Christine Golding worked as an aide from Jan 2006 through her termination in Feb. 2007.

According to the complaint filed in Federal District Court on Friday, she was fired on Feb. 8, 2007, after CHS assistant principal Michael Stanley asserted that, she had "called groups of alleged unidentified CHS students 'stupid' and 'retarded'."

The complaint also says that Stanley alleged Golding had "abandoned an alleged unidentified CHS special needs students in a bathroom."

Golding's complaint says that those statements, as well as further statements made by Mark Pasier, director of Human Resources, are defamatory. Both Stanley and Pasier are named directly in the complaint.

The suit alleges the statements have kept her from obtaining work, causing economic strife.

"When seeking employment, at in any school or anywhere else I have been told that I must divulge the reason for my leaving my last job," the complaint states. "Thus, I immediatlely am required to put my character in question to any employer."

The complaint does not list a monetary sum sought. As of now, Golding is representing herself.

You can see a complete copy of the complaint here.

From Superintendent Tiffany Anderson:

"The SMS students and staff have returned to their building.  The smoke was contained to the gymnasium.  It was determined that the smoke resulted from a motor overheating in the gym.  There was no fire, and the fire department has officially cleared the building for students and staff."

Students at Shawsville Middle School have been sent to a nearby United Methodist Church because of "smoke in one area" of the school, according to an e-mail sent to parents.

The fire department has been notified, and there is there is no evidence of a fire. Firefighters believe the smoke may be "the result of a mechanical issue in the building," the note said.

The fire department is checking the entire people before students can return.

The following is Superintendent Tiffany Anderson's full note:

"As a result of smoke in one area of Shawsville Middle School, the principal evacuated the building and notified the fire department.  There is no evidence of a fire and it is believed that the smoke may be the result of a mechanical issue in the building.  However, the fire department is assessing the entire building prior to allowing students to return.  Therefore, the principal has escorted the SMS students to the neighboring United Methodist Church to ensure that students are adequately accommodated while the fire department completes their assessment of the building."

Here's a look a the boundary changes that Pulaski's school board is considering. The  changes would close Newbern Elementary.

A public hearing is scheduled for March 5.