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Students and teachers urge Berkeley County Schools to keep standalone middle‑school reading classes
Summary
Students, teachers and parents told the board that combining reading into an integrated ELA class cuts targeted literacy time and risks students’ progress; speakers presented a petition they say has over 900 signatures and urged the district to preserve dedicated reading instruction in middle school.
Lily Scoffield, a Springwood Middle School student, told the Berkeley County Schools board the district should not eliminate standalone middle‑school reading classes, saying the separate course builds vocabulary, comprehension and a love of literature. “Reading class is one of my favorite classes to have each day and I would hate to see it disappear,” Scoffield said during the citizens forum.
Several teachers and parents backed that plea, arguing the district’s recent scheduling changes — which move reading into an integrated English language arts course and add a device‑based MTSS/enrichment period — reduce targeted reading instruction and increase screen time. Teacher Amy Shank said the rollout felt rushed and that “teachers and students remain unheard,” pointing to quick changes at the start of the 2025–26 year that left staff adjusting curriculum and pacing.
Public commenters said the changes also increase testing burdens and compress time for deep reading instruction. Speakers cited a petition opposing the consolidation — which they said has crossed 900 signatures and more than 574 social‑media shares — and asked the board to reconsider scheduling that eliminates a separate reading period for middle‑school students.
District staff later described plans to reduce personalized‑instruction minutes and to retain flexibility for principals in master scheduling. But teachers at the microphone said that flexibility does not replace the focused reading time many students have relied on for intervention and enrichment.
The board did not take a formal vote on reversing the schedule at the meeting; the discussion was folded into separate agenda items about K–5 and middle‑school curriculum and MTSS implementation that the board considered later in the evening. The superintendent and instructional staff said they will continue reviewing teacher focus‑group feedback and data over the summer and bring recommendations to the board before finalizing master schedules for 2026–27.
