Parents, students and staff flag auditorium lighting, technology and engagement needs at Cabell County LSIC forum

Cabell County Schools held a Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) community forum at Cabell Midland High School to gather parent, student and staff input on school facilities, technology and family engagement. Speakers urged repairs to auditorium lighting used as an instructional space, asked for more parent training on the district’s digital platforms and raised concerns about Wi‑Fi dead spots, printing from iPads and student supports.

The forum, organized by district staff and LSIC representatives, drew parents, teachers, students and school leaders from multiple elementary, middle and high schools. Leah Kinghorn, LSIC chair, said the breakout format felt new but stressed the importance of recording concerns for district planning: "This is not my favorite way to have the schools share their successes and to share their concerns and share their needs, because they feel it's gonna get lost." Student speaker Marcus Blanks told the group stage lighting at Cabell Midland is widely inoperable: "a majority, almost 80% of our lights on stage [are] not working," and that the condition has forced performers and classes to rely on fundraising for temporary fixes.

Why it matters: speakers said the auditorium serves as an extension of the classroom for theater, band, orchestra and stagecraft classes; inadequate lighting affects instruction, rehearsals and public events. School and district staff confirmed the district regards the space as instructional and said they would pursue short‑term and longer‑term fixes.

District response and next steps

A district staff member who led the forum said the school boosters paid for temporary lighting for an upcoming show‑choir competition and that the boosters will invoice the district for the cost. The staff member said a vendor, Creative Audio, is scheduled to inspect the auditorium and design a replacement system; staff emphasized engineers must evaluate the obsolete dimmer equipment before a final cost is known. "This is a classroom and we will take steps to make sure that's correct," the staff member said. Staff also said they expect Creative Audio to set up an interim system for the weekend performance while a permanent design and cost estimate are developed.

Forum participants were told the written summaries from the breakout groups will be transcribed and presented to the Board of Education at a March meeting; the presenter indicated March 18 as the likely date but noted the date was not confirmed in the forum.

Technology, safety and parent engagement points

Across breakout groups, attendees repeatedly requested parent training on Schoology and other district learning platforms, and suggested smaller, grade‑level open houses, evening workshops paired with food or music, and designated parent partners at some schools. One group said offering a Schoology tutorial with incentives — for example, extra credit — had worked for one teacher.

Attendees also raised operational technology issues: need for headphones and improved printing from iPads at elementary grades; Wi‑Fi dead spots in large campuses such as Cabell Midland; and questions about compatibility between Apple and Microsoft tools. Staff named existing safety/communication systems — the Rave app, radios and the Nightlock lockdown system — and said funding for batteries and spare radios is a planning concern.

Several groups urged more full‑time counselors and social workers, citing mental‑health needs and student supports. Schools highlighted strengths including strong teacher dedication, expanded technology in classrooms, intervention teachers, increased compensation investments for staff, and three schools recognized as Apple Distinguished Schools.

Quotes from the forum

Leah Kinghorn, LSIC chair: "This is not my favorite way to have the schools share their successes and to share their concerns and share their needs, because they feel it's gonna get lost." Marcus Blanks, student at Cabell Midland: "Many of our events ... have had problems due to a majority, almost 80% of our lights on stage not working." A district staff member: "The boosters honestly, everybody here knows the booster should not have to pay for that. So they're gonna be invoicing us to take care of that."

What was not decided

No formal board actions or policy changes were taken at the forum. The meeting served to collect input; staff will transcribe breakout notes and present a summary to the board. Creative Audio's inspection and any resulting purchase or contract will require further staff work and formal approval. The boosters' invoice and the district's ultimate funding source for a permanent lighting fix were discussed but not finalized.

Ending

Participants said they appreciated the chance to discuss local school strengths and needs. The district asked attendees to complete sign‑in sheets and said collected comments will inform the district’s strategic planning and operational decisions for the coming school year.