No. 7: Meridian Public School District sees big changes and responds to public input

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December 31, 2009

Anonymous The Meridian Star Thu Dec 31, 2009, 08:42 PM CST

From staff reports

The community expressed concern over the Meridian Public School District during 2009.

One of the incidents that brought about a public airing of concerns from parents as well as school district employees, was the assault of a Northwest Junior High School teacher by a student.

Issues concerning safety, policies, and student and school personnel performance were some of the topics addressed during several community meetings hosted by the Wesley House Community Center.

During the course of those meetings, the school district's accreditation was lowered by the state department of education because of an English II Subject Area Test Violation.

Investigations revealed that a Meridian High School teacher used a previous state test to prepare her students for their upcoming test, and that when the incident was brought to the attention of the principal, she failed to report it to the district test coordinator.

Meridian Public School District employees were disciplined, according to Superintendent Charlie Kent. The teacher directly involved in the violation was fired.

As the 2009-2010 school year began, Kent developed a strategic plan to improve the district and address concerns that had come to light through the community meetings.

The year also saw construction completed on the new ninth grade building on the MHS campus, named for former Meridian educator R.D. Harris.

Dr. Don Evans, Dr. Judith Miller and Teresa Hodges were confirmed as new appointees to the Meridian School Board.

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No. 7: Meridian Public School District sees big changes and responds to public input

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