[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6091628,"mediaKeyId","2859748-e82de1b13d63fb8b57677ee6121d49c4","parentId",2859748,"title","Teacher says RISE program raised EOC scores and cut suspensions at New Hanover High","audioSeconds",509,"startMs",3371000,"endMs",3880000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2859748-e82de1b13d63fb8b57677ee6121d49c4&start=3371&end=3880","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2859748-e82de1b13d63fb8b57677ee6121d49c4/thumbnail_3371000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6091628/North-Carolina/Teacher-says-RISE-program-raised-EOC-scores-and-cut-suspensions-at-New-Hanover-High","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091628-5cab8403cb481abe23eec76244037391/orig.mp4?Expires=1770575280&Signature=SmSo-H-s-GJOiV2lhAdb2a235~tQdKMPCb-FmW-rHl0pL~TaueV7YaJ~8q-xpy8FmFzJrI6TRdnmxLF63xLhqR-s0nzrlWO9n-ypS58zoC-dlPFK30Qh0QYV2ykRhcvHT1t~eHMRIwMPk0V0xj0SG6fjzEt1wfDWWCZzZQca17PoFZC0od9YbL~RCBCcjlijjSmxIpCaLBqI7sW36Rh5urzqysMAbH4zhqed~tkc02xlWBPGOEmUNImrVa5NcOgBNC2W6GYlx8dFyVp6v-ZWCdZdvLwSGi0ALZRspgXXaw8ONBHf~DXU1qVKObbDfBxEhvservMACPFC2zC87vD2sw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Hanover County Schools","date","2025-04-02T01:14:10Z","article","A New Hanover High School teacher told the school board on Tuesday that the RISE (Relationships Inspire Student Empowerment) program has produced measurable academic and behavioral gains after its first year.

Taylor Henderson, a New Hanover High teacher who described the program as an intervention for students with intense academic and behavioral needs, said RISE students showed higher pass rates and fewer suspensions compared with the district’s previous model. \"In the RISE program, on average, 87 percent of our students pass Math 1,\" Henderson said. She said 75 percent of RISE students passed English 1 and that days of suspension dropped from 153 to 78 after one year in the program.

Why it matters: The board heard data Henderson said came from comparisons of the previous intensive-behavior-support model and outcomes for RISE students. Henderson said the program serves students across four grade-level strands — school and organizational skills in ninth grade, career readiness in 10th, life skills in 11th, and mentorship in 12th — and that weekly community partnerships play a role in student engagement.

Key results described to the board included an average 6.4-point gain on Math I EOC scores for RISE students (with some students showing 25–35 points of growth), a reported 46 percent decrease in behavior incidents after year one, and continued gains in later cohorts. Henderson also said 52 students currently participate in RISE at New Hanover High School.

Henderson described the program’s staffing and structure: team teaching by two exceptional-children teachers, ECTAs, and a content teacher, smaller class sizes and embedded social-emotional and career-readiness activities. She said the program uses community partners for hands-on experiences and that students present real-world projects — for example, a recent project in which students presented design work to the architectural team working on New Hanover High.

Board members praised the results and invited further engagement. Several board members who attended a site visit last year described being impressed by student work and recommended additional board visits. Henderson invited board members and district leaders to spend a day with RISE students to see the model firsthand.

Speakers

- Taylor Henderson — Science and math teacher, New Hanover High School (presenter).
- Board members who commented in support: Josie Barnhart; David Perry; Dr. Tim Merrick; Pete Wildebore (remarks recorded).

Clarifying details

- Enrollment: 52 students currently in the RISE program at New Hanover High (presenter’s figure).
- Reported outcomes: Math I pass rate ~87% (RISE), prior model ~36% pass in Math 1; English I pass rate ~75% (RISE) vs ~46% prior; suspensions reduced from 153 total days to 78 in year one (presented by teacher); average math EOC growth 6.4 points with some students 25–35 points.
- Program components: team teaching; EC teachers plus content teacher; weekly partnerships with community organizations named by presenter (e.g., UNCW men’s basketball, local fire department, aquarium, vocational rehab partners).

Community relevance

- Geography: New Hanover County; program at New Hanover High School.
- Impact groups: students with intensive academic/behavior needs, exceptional-children (EC) students, school staff and community partners.

Provenance

- topicintro: {\"block_id\":\"3371.60\",\"local_start\":0,\"local_end\":120,\"evidence_excerpt\":\"Good evening, members of the school board. My name is Taylor Henderson, and I'm a science and math teacher at New Hanover High School... RISE, which stands for Relationships Inspire Student Empowerment, is an intervention program serving students with intense academic and behavior needs...\"}
- topfinish: {\"block_id\":\"3841.06\",\"local_start\":0,\"local_end\":90,\"evidence_excerpt\":\"In addition, I'd like to personally invite any district leaders and members of the board to come spend a day with us, hang out with the kids, and meet with me and the RISE team to learn more.\"}","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","NHCS Board of Ed. Regular Meeting | April 1, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A New Hanover High teacher presented one-year results from RISE, an intervention program for students with intense academic and behavior needs, reporting higher Math I and English I pass rates, lower suspension days, and average gains on state end-of-course (EOC) exams.","taxTitle","New Hanover County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14191,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6091634,"Board declines reopening of AI pilot vote; debate centers on cost, cameras and privacy",1483,67000,1550000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2859748-e82de1b13d63fb8b57677ee6121d49c4&start=67&end=1550","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2859748-e82de1b13d63fb8b57677ee6121d49c4/thumbnail_67000.jpg","/articles/6091634/North-Carolina/Board-declines-reopening-of-AI-pilot-vote-debate-centers-on-cost-cameras-and-privacy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6091634-0de8f0185511332a87178c025f757710/orig.mp4?Expires=1770575280&Signature=CVsBbSDZgFvaNiT7UkMJD0wocBYfzeQqgbGnzT4GMdjrVyv0lpiWW0m0mi090yJXKBIJIWnPy-5a9e~IE~SLwG-8iymuBerR3LPb3LT-x4ukLoFC37woJc87nTvPyidPPoOOCMZuSDOMq9cKScxTLX9m4uVJYymjztoGGqWK4kh6YJg~0wXKcBFk5G7tD1b45LcHH-D4PPu28h7r5BKjA6HNvIYmvGFI6Cu~zbVaUZJbkWe2lyE5jFHSWYMceUgvVPCTdh-qp-lF08wQvKKBBTCIrswjHr5Az4leZX08Yw2Pxpt4yeGjGNY6WmgUb6euF4rbwL5Jniok~gIl5sMbKw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The New Hanover County Schools Board of Education on Tuesday debated whether to reopen last week’s vote rejecting participation in a state-funded artificial-intelligence pilot, but members voted not to add that discussion back to the agenda.

The proposal at the center of the debate was a $3,200,000 grant the district had been offered to pilot an AI-enabled monitoring system. Board member Pat Bradford moved to add discussion of “new information” about the pilot to the meeting agenda; that move sparked a lengthy exchange about procedure, potential local costs and student privacy. \"Any new policy or budgetary items presented as an addendum to the published agenda are not subject to action at the same meeting,\" Board member Dr. Tim Merrick said while quoting Policy 23-30.

Why it matters: Board members said the decision could affect where the district seeks roughly $1 million in local funding and whether schools adopt new camera or monitoring systems. Supporters of revisiting the pilot said material surfaced since the vote merited a public, full-board debate; opponents said the original vote reflected deliberation and persistent concerns about vendor choice and legal safeguards.

Proponents emphasized new budget details and district priorities. Board member Josie Barnhart told the board the district is now budgeting requests to the county that include $275,000 for monitoring, $685,000 to upgrade camera systems and an additional ask to acquire Raptor software — \"Those 3 amounts add up to more than a million dollars that we are turning around asking the county for,\" Barnhart said. Pat Bradford added: \"The $3,000,000 was offered to us as a grant pilot program to enhance 1 aspect of our security. It is not available for anything else. Nada. We will have to go next week and ask the county to give us about a million dollars to do some of the stuff that this program would have funded.\"

Opponents continued to question the vendor and called for caution. Several members who voted against participation last week reiterated their concerns about the company under consideration and about guardrails in state law for intrusive monitoring features. \"The conversations I had with multiple individuals, alongside my own personal research, raised more questions than answers,\" Dr. Merrick said, summarizing his decision to vote no.

Legal and process guidance featured in the discussion. The board’s legal advisor told members that because the board was meeting in a separate session from the prior vote, a renewed motion would be treated as a new motion and could be made by any member. \"A motion to reconsider has to be in the same session,\" the attorney said. The procedural opinion allowed members to raise the matter, but several members cited Policy 23-30 as a reason to move the item only for information and not for final action at this meeting.

Outcome and immediate next steps: A motion to place the AI pilot discussion on the agenda was not approved at the meeting. The regular agenda was then approved by the board. Board members said they will continue to compile information — including additional vendor documents, security officer input and clarifications about allowable uses of any grant funds — before making any further decisions.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to add AI pilot discussion to the agenda: failed (motion not approved during the meeting).
- Approval of the regular meeting agenda: passed 5–2.
- Consensus/consent items: passed 7–0 earlier in the meeting.

Speakers

- Pat Bradford — Board member (mover to add AI discussion to agenda).
- Josie Barnhart — Board member (spoke in favor of reconsideration).
- Dr. Tim Merrick — Board member (quoted Policy 23-30; argued against acting tonight).
- David Perry — Board member (spoke on legal limits for use of state grant funds).
- Board attorney — Board legal counsel (explained reconsideration vs. renewed motion).
- Chuck Silverstein — Safety and security officer (referenced; requested to present but did not speak at this meeting).

Clarifying details

- State grant offered: $3,200,000 (described in board remarks).
- Local budget requests mentioned by board members: $275,000 (monitoring), $685,000 (camera upgrades), plus additional funding asked to purchase Raptor; Barnhart said these items together exceed $1,000,000.
- Policy cited by board members: Policy 23-30 (quoted by Dr. Merrick).
- Legal advice: Board attorney advised that a renewed motion outside the prior meeting’s session can be introduced by any member; a true motion to reconsider must occur in the same session as the original vote.

Community relevance

- Geography: New Hanover County (districtwide impact).
- Impact groups: students, teachers, school security staff, taxpayers.

Provenance

- topicintro: {\"block_id\":\"67.835\",\"local_start\":0,\"local_end\":85,\"evidence_excerpt\":\"I would like to add to the agenda a discussion of the new information that we have discovered since last meeting on the AI pilot.\"}
- topfinish: {\"block_id\":\"1540.09\",\"local_start\":0,\"local_end\":80,\"evidence_excerpt\":\"That does not pass. I will entertain a motion to approve the agenda.\"}","New Hanover County Schools board members debated whether to revisit a decision to decline a $3.2 million state AI pilot, with proponents citing new information and opponents citing costs, company concerns and legal/process limits. A motion to add the item back to the agenda failed; the regular agenda was approved later in the meeting.","actionData","errors"]

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Teacher says RISE program raised EOC scores and cut suspensions at New Hanover High

Board declines reopening of AI pilot vote; debate centers on cost, cameras and privacy