McDonald school board selects family and civic team

June 10, 2010 at 12:05a.m.

By MARY SMITH

McDONALD

The McDonald Board of Education has chosen the members of its new Family and Civic Engagement Team.

School officials said a new state law requires such a team be established by June 30.

Family and community have been identified as key components in education under House Bill 1, which requires the formation of the teams at all school districts.

County-level teams have been in place for years, Treasurer Brian Stidham said at Monday’s meeting.

The list of local team members named by the board must be submitted to the local Family and Children First Council.

Those appointed to the McDonald board are Colleen Sudol, PTO president; Tim Schaffer, president and CEO of Valley Counseling, Warren; Lou Ronghi, village police chief; Tod Thorne, owner of Speed Sports, McDonald; Maggie Kowach, elementary school principal; Joan Miles, school-board member; Carol Augustine, school nurse; and Cathy Woods, a district guidance counselor.

Kowach explained the state’s goal with mandating the teams in every district is to ensure that pupils get the support needed to graduate.

The team is designed to include school, family and community in school planning.

Focus also will be on noneducational needs and will work to help students with problems — such as the need for counseling, poverty, loss of a parent or illness in the family — and make sure they’re connected with agencies that are designed to help them.

For example, a student with a health issue, such as repeated infections with head lice, could be referred to the county board of health to help learn how to get rid of the lice and properly treat the home to prevent them from recurring.

Kowach said the team will be surveying parents in the community to find out what they feel is needed in the district for nonacademic problems.

The board also has accepted a monetary donation from Robert Reizan, Deluxe Transportation, McDonald, of $693 to defray the transportation cost for field trips. Reizan has made frequent donations for field trips this school year.