Board readies for new school year

Floyd County Public School Board held its last meeting before the start of the new school year and approved Personnel Recommendations on Aug. 7.

One notable change was the move of Travis Cantrell from assistant principal at Floyd County High School to director of secondary instruction at the Central Office, effective July 28.

Daniel Quesenberry will replace Cantrell as FCHS’ assistant principal this year, effective Aug. 5.

The Board also approved the division’s Crisis Action Plans and approved the appointment of Tammy Hubbard as the Superintendent Designee to the Virginia Department of Education.

Gene Bishop of Indian Valley was named the Virginia School Board Association delegate for the year, and Debbie Snellings of the Courthouse District was named the alternate.

Superintendent Jessica Cromer provided Board members with photos of maintenance projects that have been completed during summer break, including a new fence around Indian Valley Elementary School’s playground, new floors in some Floyd Elementary School classrooms, mulching of all school playgrounds, new locks on all doors at FES and Check Elementary, new locks on lockers and new floor tiles in the Collaboration and Career Development Center (which were under warranty), freshly waxed hallways and more.

Cromer also gave an update on the FCPS Strategic Plan and progress made during the fourth quarter of the 2024-2025 school year.

Among those achievements was establishing an Advanced Tier team at each school in the district to help support students, providing all staff a 3% salary increase, offering “Farm to Table” summer enrichment, using grant money to purchase and replace furniture at the high school, and creating an official Alumni Database.

Three items were presented to Board members to consider for action at the September meeting, including policy revisions regarding the grading scale, student conduct and staff leave/absences. Other changes corrected/added appropriate code references, technical language and clarified the division's Freedom of Information Act policy.

The revised grading policy would incorporate one academic scale for K-12 following the 90-100 (A), 80-89 (B), etc. pattern, and the update to the Student Conduct Policy incorporates the definition of cyberbullying and protections against it.

“Any student who is a victim of cyberbullying or a witness to an instance of cyberbullying will be provided protections designed to ensure that such student is not deterred from reporting or seeking support for fear of retaliation, social alienation or rejection, or other negative treatment…” the proposed revision states.

“... Any student who is a victim of cyberbullying is provided with a list of support services and resources available through the student's school relating to reporting and seeking support after experiencing cyberbullying.”

The first day of the 2025-2026 school year is Wednesday, Aug. 13.

FCPS School Board is scheduled to hold its next meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 8, at 140 Harris Hart Rd.

For possible updates or more information, visit www.floyd.k12.va.us/school-board.