Student board representatives report concerns; district highlights staff professional development and AI initiatives

Several student board representatives reported on student-collected feedback and priorities at Centerville High School, while district staff summarized a recent professional development day and related instructional initiatives.

Student leaders (including Titus Lee, Nahir, Amelia Hicks and others) described results from lunch-period outreach to students: common concerns included classroom disruptions, hallway traffic flow, implementation of the district's cell-phone policy, awareness of mental-health and tutoring resources, bullying and a sense of social disconnect for some students. Students proposed stronger enforcement of the cell-phone policy, clearer hallway signage or expectations, earlier distribution of program information and more community-building efforts across grade levels.

Staff presenters described a recent professional development day that included trauma-informed training led by national speaker Frank Cross for intervention specialists and ACE classroom staff; specialized sessions for life-skills and program‑classroom staff on behavior and data; curriculum training on a new elementary ELA program (Benchmark Advance); work on math instructional materials and collaborative planning for integrated arts teachers; and district training for secondary staff on multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS), chronic absenteeism interventions and ethical use of artificial intelligence in instruction. District leaders said Frank Cross will continue work with ACE classrooms and lead a book study and classroom observations throughout the year.

Administrators said teachers provided positive feedback on the professional development day and that the district will continue scheduling collaborative and targeted training.