At its latest work session, the Harrisonburg City School Board proposed bringing back its school start times task force and creating two brand new task forces to navigate achievement gaps for marginalized students and Artificial Intelligence.

‘Start times and everything else’

Superintendent Michael Richards proposed a “refresh” of the school start time task force to develop an ideal schedule for school start and end times after the board voted against the last task force’s recommended schedule change.

In the vote against the previous recommendation, board members agreed with the science showing that later start times benefit older students, But they opposed implementing the proposed changes amid child care and transportation issues. The board directed the superintendent to bring an alternative proposal.

The new task force will develop an ideal start and end time schedule, regardless of resources, using peer-reviewed research and examples of successful school divisions. Then, Richards said the Central Office staff will guide the task force in mapping out the resources needed to implement the ideal design.

The previous discussion concerning school start times, transportation limits and a lack of child care in the area affected the recommendation and community response. Richards said child care issues and school start times were inseparable issues.

Richards said he would like to provide the task force with “comprehensive data on current community child care resources and school bus driver numbers.” He would also allow different parents to volunteer and consider adding other stakeholders to the task force.

Unlike the last task force, this group won’t have a deadline to develop a proposal but will instead have benchmarks to check in.

After generating findings and presenting them to the superintendent and school board, Richards proposed that the school board schedule special work sessions with community partners to develop the infrastructure needed to implement the ideal design.

Board member Deb Fitzgerald raised concerns that the division was trying to solve child care issues in the city alongside several other groups that were working independently rather than together. Her concerns sparked discussions among the board about the role of the school division in solving the lack of childcare in the area.

“The start times and everything else task force,” Fitzgerald said.

While board members Emma Phillips and Kaylene Seigle had reservations about overextending the school division and staff by trying to solve the lack of child care, the board agreed that the division is a key player in navigating the issue.

“I definitely am not talking about asking our teachers to do more than what they’re already doing in the classroom,” Tom Domonoske said. “We’re talking about creating new solutions that would need to be properly funded to be implemented.”

Richards highlighted that the division was already working on unconventional childcare models for staff members, like using partnerships with outside groups to handle hiring and licensing childcare services for staff. The school division also has child care models, like using groups that provide before and after-school care, that could be expanded.

Richards said he would bring the task force back as a topic to the board at the next meeting.

Task Force to Address Achievement

Richards proposed a Community Task Force to Address Achievement, Program Participation and Discipline Gaps in an effort to continue the internal work addressing equity in HCPS.

The division has done work to look at historically marginalized groups, Richards said, through equity groups and guidelines and diversity hiring.

“What I’m proposing here is that we go to the next level with that, the next step with that, and build on that foundation an extension of that work into the community and partner even more with our families,” Richards said.

Richards said more work needs to be done in HCPS to address equity, and the task force would be an extension of that work, not a replacement.

The group would start with Black and African American students, then expand the focus or create other groups. Richards said they’ve only just begun discussions about the task force.

Richards said the conversation across the country has focused on achievement gaps, but this task force was more than that; it will also focus on program participation and discipline.

HCPS has made progress in addressing achievement gaps for historically marginalized groups, Richards said. Still, it has disproportionately lower numbers in programs like STEM and fine arts and disproportionately higher numbers of Black students affected by discipline measures.

Richards said he needs more conversations with experts and families and wouldn’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to issues affecting different communities in Harrisonburg. Chief of Staff Sal Romero said the division could lean further into the community to hear from families and their experiences.

Richards and Romero said the task force would include a board member as an ex officio liaison to the committee to ensure the group was a safe space for community members to be honest and share their experiences.

Task Force on Artificial Intelligence

Richards also introduced an ad hoc task on the use of artificial intelligence, to research best practices in using AI in K-12 education and recommend policies, regulations and protocols for faculty and students.

“The task force could look at policy and the policy manual and say, ‘We need to add something,’” Richards said. “Or maybe the task force says, ‘We don’t really want to change or add to policy or regulation. We want simply to put some protocols in place.’ ”

The task force would include Deb Cook, director of school administration; Kevin Perkins, Director of Technology; and school board members Emma Phillips and Deb Fitzgerald. It would also include parents, teachers and middle and high school administrators.

The proposed task force would begin this August and finish and present its work by January 2025.

The next Harrisonburg City School Board meeting will be at 7 p.m. May 7 in the City Council Chambers.