The addition of Archery as a sport at Oak Glen Middle School was proposed at the Feb. 28^th meeting of the Hancock County Board of Education.   Jennifer Hardy and Robert Conant, both teachers at OGMS, said they had polled students at the school and 62 % of 7^th and 8^th grade students had expressed interest in participating in Archery.    With  a ratio of 8 students to one instructor, the sport is deemed on of the safest in West Virginia according to  Hardy who said the bows and arrows would be locked up with no student allowed within the shooting line.    Hardy and Conant were given the go-ahead to further explore an Archery program.

               Board member Larry Shaw requested the Board look at extending participation in interscholastic athletic teams to 6^th grade students.  Shaw said currently Hancock County is the only county in the State not to allow 6^th graders to participate.  He said those students would be required to maintain a 2.0 GPA and suggested the athletic program begin with individual sports such as cross country and wrestling. 

              Board member Michelle Chappell asked if the Athletic Directors and Principals of the two middle schools had been involved in the proposal.   Shaw said he had spoken with both at OGMS.  Chappell requested that input be received from Weir Middle School Principal and Athletic Director before going forth on the proposal. 

In other business, the Board:

  **Went into Executive Session to discuss the pending grievance Mick v Hancock County Board of Education and possible related legal issues with legal counsel;

  **Learned that an Ethic’s complaint filed by former Board member Tim Reinard had been dismissed.   Reinard had filed a complaint regarding an emergency meeting held by the Board on Sept. 27 to enact a mask mandate in the schools.   Reinard asserted that proper procedure had not been followed in the emergency meeting. Board President Danny Kaser said he had received a letter from the Board of Probable Cause that the committee had determined there was no need to pursue the complaint;

**Approved an unpaid leave of absence for Leah Crow;

**Accepted the resignations of Amy Marosz, teacher and New Manchester Elementary, Tanner Werkmann, teacher at Weirton Elementary;

**Approved  Brooke Provenzano and Macy Gump as countywide substitute teachers;

**Approved Doug Taylor as Oak Glen Head Football Coach;

**Approved Steven Kettler as Head Girls’ Tennis Coach at Weir High;

**Approved teaching in lieu of planning periods for Jason Bennett (Calculus, Block 1, Weir High and Jason Angle (Algebra 1, Block 4, Weir High);

**Granted an unpaid leave of absence for Amy McKitrick;

**Transferred Pamela Miller from Supervisory Aide II-IV/AM, Weirton Elementary, to Supervisory Aide II-IV (ECCAT/AM) initial placement Pre-K, Weirton Elementary;

**Transferred Lucas Collett from Custodian II, Weir Middle, to Custodian IV/GM, Oak Glen Middle;

**Transferred Paul Guzzo from Custodian III/GM, Weirton Elementary, to Custodian IV/GM, Weirton Elementary;

**Transferred substitute custodian Ronald Richmond to Custodian III/GM, Weirton Elementary;

**Transferred substitute custodian David Dalton to Custodian II, Oak Glen Middle;

**Substitute Service personnel approved included Cynthia Parrish, custodian; Patrick McCoy, custodian, and Rapeepass Taibi to aide;

**Granted permission for the Poetry Out Loud winner from Weir High to travel to Charleston to make part in competition March 11-12;