NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Nearly two months after the shooting at Richneck Elementary School sparked a big discussion on school safety, parents and teachers of Newport News Public Schools students and other community members are being asked to weigh in on big decisions for the division.
School administrators are calling for people to sign up as members of three different advisory committees: school safety, family engagement and student rights and responsibilities.
Administrators said in an email that the committees will meet on a regular basis "to provide input, support and advice" to the school division and the School Board.
"Parents, NNPS employees and community members interested in serving on one of the advisory committees should complete an online application," said Interim Superintendent Michele Mitchell in an email to the school district community on Friday.
She said the school division leaders would do their due diligence to "reflect the diversity of the community population" as they select members for the committees. She said they would also pick members "with knowledge and skills that are beneficial" to each committee.
However, the committees comes with responsibilities. Administrators said committee members would be "expected to serve as leaders and advocates."
It's a new initiative Newport News mom, Andrea Hogge, is excited to join. Her daughter attends one of the Newport News middle schools, where she has faced multiple bullying incidents.
"It's over the top. I've picked up my daughter so many times for bullying," said Hogge. "It's kind of like, do I want to pull her out of school and do homeschool? But I can't because we don't know the lessons."
Hogge said over the last several years, she has felt more disconnected from the school division, particularly due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, saying, "I don't know what any of my children's teachers look like."
Hogge applied to become a member of two of the three committees. She said she wants to help create a line of communication between parents, teachers, and school administrators.
"I think if we have committees, teachers can talk to parents and parents can talk to other parents," said Hogge. "Because everybody is like, 'Why are you doing this?' This is not an overnight solution. This is an experience for all of us."
Hogge said she's spoken up at the public hearings of the Newport News School Board meetings. She said she understands there are only a handful of board members compared to the thousands of parents and teachers who are making their voices heard.
"The school board is so overwhelmed, and I don't think they have the support they need," said Hogge. "I think with the committees, you can get the parents involved and they can see it from a parent's view and the parents can help other parents understand things."
Hogge said she hopes these committees help get more people involved to create a permanent solution.
If you are interested in applying to be part of the committees, school administrators said you can apply to more than one. You have until 5 p.m. Friday, March 3 to do so. You can apply here.
NNPS officials provided the following descriptions of the committees.
Family Engagement Advisory Committee:
Responsible for developing and enhancing the school division's family engagement approaches. The committee will provide input into planning and implementation to improve services and remove barriers to families and students. Members will also review and revise family engagement procedures and will serve as leaders and advocates for successful partnerships with parents and school staff.
School Safety Advisory Committee:
Responsible for providing valuable perspective regarding issues and concerns related to school safety and security. Members will work with NNPS employees and local law enforcement representatives to provide recommendations to monitor and bolster school safety.
Rights and Responsibilities Advisory Committee:
Responsible for enhancing procedures governing effective student discipline and behavior while ensuring fairness and equity in administration of discipline. The committee will review data on student behavior and collaborate annually to review and revise the Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.