Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Career Technical Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students, parents and local businesses urge expanded CASE/FFA access at Southern High School
Summary
Students, alumni, parents and local agricultural-business leaders told the board that Southern High School’s CASE (agriculture) and FFA programs provide career skills and leadership and asked the district to ease access for students from neighboring schools and to support program growth.
A group of students, alumni, parents and local agricultural business leaders told the Anne Arundel County Board of Education on Oct. 15 that Southern High School’s CASE (agriculture) program and FFA chapter offer hands-on science, leadership and career pathways and asked the district to allow students from neighboring high schools greater access to the program.
Multiple speakers — including students who currently participate (chapter president Kevin Keaton Jr. and sophomore chapter reporter Zoe Howes), alumni and a local business owner — described hands-on learning in greenhouse management, animal care and supervised agricultural experiences. Speakers said CASE/FFA enrollment at Southern has doubled in four years and that program activities have included donated produce to local food banks, competitions at the state and national level, and student entrepreneurship in sales of wreaths and plants.
Parents and alumni asked the board to reexamine current rules that limit participation by students who attend other high schools because the program’s educational model relies on classroom instruction plus before- and after-school FFA activities and supervised agricultural experiences that are not feasible when a student must shuttle between multiple campuses during the school day. Several speakers asked the district to allow students from South River, Crofton and Annapolis feeder areas to enroll full-time at Southern to complete the agriscience completer pathway, saying part-time classroom access does not allow students to participate fully in FFA events, leadership and experiential components.
No board action was taken at the meeting. Several board members thanked speakers and acknowledged that the district had provided one-time budget support earlier in the year for CASE/FFA programming at Southern; staff said they would consider the community’s input as they evaluate program capacity, scheduling and policy.
