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Teachers defend keeping 'Amplify' science curriculum, announce grants and lab upgrades
Summary
Middle‑school science teachers told the board they will remain with the Amplify curriculum, requested better vertical alignment with elementary grades and described two grants that will supply three TVs for lab instruction and fund safe chemical disposal; teachers also reported new Bluetooth spirometers for hands‑on labs.
Middle‑school science staff told the Board of Education that they will keep the Amplify curriculum for another cycle while continuing to supplement it with locally developed materials and additional hands‑on units.
"I am the middle school teacher, so we are still going to go Amplify," said Lindsay Schlosser (speaker 1), who described creating supplemental notes and units to make the program better fit local needs. Schlosser said some aspects required extra teacher‑made materials but that the curriculum has been workable and will remain in place.
Teachers told the board they secured two grants that will upgrade lab technology. One grant will provide three TVs to support demonstrations and display procedures in the lab at no cost to the district; another (Keep Nebraska Beautiful) will cover disposal of decades‑old chemicals found in the lab prep area. Schlosser described finding vials dated as early as 1964 and said the grant will pay for most disposal costs.
On instructional equipment, teachers reported adding Bluetooth spirometers that allow students to collect and view clinical‑style respiratory data in real time. Schlosser said the devices gave students practical data that closely matched clinical expectations and praised the hands‑on learning value.
Teachers and board members discussed dual‑enrollment pathways and a planned grant application to the Nebraska Commission on Postsecondary Education to expand dual credit offerings. The board also expressed concern about the amount of testing students face — including national NAEP sampling — and asked administration to bring testing notifications to the board when the district is selected again.
The board thanked presenters and moved on to other business.
