New policies, initiatives this year with Orrville schools
With a new administrative staff in place including a new superintendent, a new assistant superintendent and a new high school principal, Orrville City Schools has begun the year with new policies and new initiatives.
Dr. David Toth, the new superintendent who began his tenure in July, has already demonstrated he is going to be an active and community-engaged superintendent. Toth sends out a weekly email newsletter, highlighting various policies and activities within the district. The newsletter is available in both English and Spanish.
Toth also manages an active Instagram and Facebook social media account for the district. On social media Toth highlights sporting events, musical groups and other district happenings. During the Wayne County Fair, the district’s social media featured Toth at the fair with a variety of district students including those showing chickens and photos of artwork of Orrville students specially selected for display at the fair.
Before the first football game, the district announced a new policy at athletic events. The policy was labeled Athletic Events Attendance Guidelines for Students.
The policy requires middle and elementary students be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult and further specifies middle-schoolers and elementary-age kids may not be dropped off or left unattended. The policy requires students to remain in the stands during the event. Students are not permitted to loiter.
Additionally, all spectators are expected to remain at the event and are not to be readmitted once they leave. The policy also requires all patrons to exhibit good behavior and display good sportsmanship during the event. In the past students were allowed to play football and otherwise roam around the grounds. Toth did not respond to a request for comment on this policy.
In addition, Toth is focusing on increasing district attendance. Many may not be aware that in recent years, attendance rules in Ohio were changed so that absences are calculated on an hourly basis instead of a daily basis. As an example, if a child misses two hours in a day, the two hours are recorded as an absence even if a student attends other hours in that school day. Truancy laws in Ohio specify that a student who misses 30 or more consecutive hours, 42 or more hours in a month or 72 hours in a school year is considered truant.
Toth said attendance has an important impact on educational success.
“Going to school daily helps students learn essential skills like control, time management and responsibility, which are necessary for future college and workplace success,” Toth said. “Being at school also allows students and staff to feel like they belong and are part of a group, which is important for their social and emotional growth.”
Statistics from an attendance initiative called Attendance Works show that missing just two days a month means a student misses 10% of the school year.
The new superintendent also said Orrville has an upcoming school renewal levy on the November ballot that is not a new tax and does not ask for any increase from a property owner. The amount of tax is a fixed sum that does not change with an increase in property appraisal.
You can follow the Orrville superintendent page on Instagram @orrvillesupt.