The Pocahontas County board of education heard from dropout preventionist and attendance director Susan Borror at its meeting Monday night. Borror outlined the top 10 reasons students drop out of school.

Borror shared a printout of the Early Warning System she uses to detect at-risk students. The scale is color coded by the severity of the risk. The three components the system diagrams are Attendance, Behavior and Poor Performance.

“If a child has one of these components, it’s yellow,” Borror explained. “The orange means they have two or more components, and I couldn’t find any, but red means they have all three of the components. This is how we identify at-risk students.”

Borror did not provide a number to the board as to how many students are currently at-risk to drop out, but she said the interventionist working at Pocahontas County High School has made a difference with students who had considered that step.

With the help of Laura Young, of the Family Resource Network, Borror presented a slideshow dis- playing the top 10 reasons students drop out of the education system:

• Classes are not interesting.

• Attendance – missing too many days causes the student to fall behind.

• Being poorly prepared.

• Not motivated enough by teachers and school staff.

• Failing classes/Lack of credit.

• Need to provide support for their family.

• Teenage parents.

• Discipline problems.

• Don’t care attitude.

• Takes care of a relative.

Borror added that students also drop out due to substance abuse, depression, physical abuse and learning disabilities.

Borror and the FRN are using funds from the Innovation Zone Drop Out Prevention Grant to hire interventionists to work with students to lower the drop out rate.

In updates:

• Food Service director Lisa Dennison shared information on the Smart Foods = Smarter Kids program that the school system is implementing.

With the new program, students are served fruits and vegetables every day and the cooks have more input in the county-wide lunch menu.

Dennison said she is looking at several breakfast options to increase student participation. Options include breakfast in the classroom, grab and go breakfast, or breakfast after first period class. She said she is going to meet with the food service director of Randolph County Schools to see what option has worked best for her.

• Student representative Cassidy Rao reported that PCHS had its first Code Red practice drill last Friday and said students told her they feel more comfortable now that there is a plan in place in case of an emergency.

Rao added that the annual FFA Ham, Bacon and Egg Sale held on Saturday was a huge success.

In financial management, the board approved the following:

• Payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $11,247.57.

• Payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $29,123.31.

• Payment of vendor listing of claims in the amount of $98,871.12.

In miscellaneous management, the board approved the following:

• To accept the bid of $9,500 from Brook Leyzorek for the timber removed from the area designated for the softball field at Pocahontas County High School.

In personnel management, the board approved the following:

• Resignation of Christopher M. Sutton as head football coach at Pocahontas County High School, effective at the end of the 2012-2013 season.

• Consent to change Joanna A. Burt-Kinderman from math coach, grades 6-12, for Pocahontas County Schools to math coach, grades K-12, for Pocahontas County Schools, effective for the 2013-2014 school year.

• Consent to change Shirlene E. Groseclose from teacher of Spanish at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School and Marlinton Middle School to teacher of Spanish at Green Bank Elementary-Middle School, Marlinton Middle School and Pocahontas County High School, to be housed at Pocahontas County High School, effective for the 2013-2014 school year.

• Employment of Rachel Church, Rachel Garringer and Joseph K. Heathcock as substitute teachers for Pocahontas County Schools, effective March 13, for the remainder of the 2012-2013 school year, as needed, at state basic pay based on degree and experience.

• Resignation of Samantha J. McClure as itinerant teacher of special education/autism, half-time, at Hillsboro Elementary School, effective at the end of the 2012-2013 school year.

The next board meeting will be Monday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in the board of education conference room.

Suzanne Stewart may be contacted at sastewart@pocahontastimes.com