Citizen voices concerns on teacher arrest
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PARKERSBURG -- A Parkersburg South High School graduate spoke to the Wood County Board of Education Tuesday about her concerns over the recent arrest of a teacher at her alma mater.
South teacher Dwain Sponseller turned himself in to Parkersburg Police on March 14 and was charged with seven counts of sexual abuse by a parent, guardian, custodian or person in a position of trust related to his work as a Van Devender Middle School basketball coach.
Sponseller was also named in a lawsuit in 2014 while serving as a coach for South's freshman football team. The suit claimed he instigated a fight between two players in 2010 and then did nothing to stop the altercation.
"It's clear to see what he did in the past and I ask myself, and I ask you all, rhetorically, is that really the standard we have set for our students?" 2015 South graduate Hannah Wilfong said Tuesday.
Sponseller was accused in 2014 of texting and playing video games online with students, with former South Vice Principal Charles Crookshanks testifying in court, "more and more with younger teachers they do not see this as not appropriate."
Wilfong said it was no surprise Sponseller was later arrested.
"I personally believe we could have prevented years of abuse had we said no to letting him in our schools," she said.
Prior to Wilfong's remarks, Superintendent Christie Willis said a mandatory video is being presented to all Wood County Schools employees on their professional learning day April 1.
"West Virginia code requires school personnel to report any acts witnessed or (if they) have reasonable cause to suspect a child has been neglected or abused. This may be at school or outside of the school environment," Willis said. "In this video, Jonathan Farley, the director of technology, also highlights the acceptable use policy, which prohibits the use of social media to engage in non-professional interactions with students and employees."
Wilfong said during public comments adults should already know it is inappropriate to reach out to students that way.
"I think we need to communicate it to our students," Wilfong said. "That it never involves a teacher reaching out to them via social media or text, no matter how cool they are made to believe that they are."
Assistant Finance Director Kaylee Litman asked the board to vote on the proposed 2025-2029 levy rates to be submitted to state officials before the budget is considered for approval on April 16.
The board did so as part of the consent agenda.
Assistant Superintendent of Operations Kaleb Lawrence told the board in preparation for upcoming work on the Parkersburg High School stadium, Pickering Associates will be doing an X-ray on the concrete to see the type and condition of rebar under the stadium.
"Without doing that, and doing a project of this size, if that would fail or have any issues, that can hold (up) that project. So we want to make sure everything checks out," he said.
Lawrence also told the board plans for the secure vestibules for Hamilton, Blennerhassett and Jackson middle schools and Gihon and Martin elementaries have been presented to the principals of each school and they all signed off on the projects.
"So, we are moving forward, and hopefully come May, you will see me up here again awarding the bid to a contractor to start those projects," Lawrence said.
Board member Rick Olcott said he has been receiving a lot of questions about the bond projects and although the secure vestibules and the stadium at PHS are part of the bond call, there's a lot more to it.
"There's a whole host of things in there that I think the community is begging for," he said.
He encouraged people to look at the CEFP (Comprehensive Educational Facility Plan) on the Wood County Schools website, which provides information about schools being considered for closure.
"I encourage the public to look at the information but be ready for us in the not too distant future to communicate that whole plan so people align their expectations around what the plan is," Olcott said.
Willis said the board will meet Thursday in special session to vote on the purchase of the property for the new Lubeck Elementary School. That meeting is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. and will be in the Bailey Board Room at the corner of 13th and Plum Streets. The meeting is open to the public.
Douglass Huxley can be reached at dhuxley@newsandsentinel.com
Items approved during the consent agenda:
* 2025 levy rates
* Kanawha HVAC Renovation Change Order 1 in the amount of $57,084.00
* Amendment to the Professional Services Agreement PHS Stadium in the amount of $16,335.00
* An agreement with Matheny Motors to allow Wood County Schools to borrow an electric bus for a trial period from April 1 through April 30, 2024
* The mini grant agreement between Wood County Schools and West Virginia University at Parkersburg for reading materials at Madison Elementary School
* Agreement for the Advisory Council of Teachers Agreement between Wood County Schools and West Virginia University at Parkersburg
* Memorandum of Understanding between Wood County Schools and Legal Aid to hold a clinic at Jefferson Elementary School during the 2023-2024 school year
According to documents from the district the excess levy call will be in effect from 2025-2029 with funding totalling $20,906,497. The funds are to be distributed as follows:
* $15,500,00 to be used for continuing personnel salaries and benefits to continue to improve and enhance the districts' instructional programs and student support programs (including counselors and nurses) by employment and retention of qualified teachers, service and administrative personnel by maintaining competitive salaries and benefits
* $2,500,000 to continue funds for school safety and security of all elementary, middle and high schools through the use of school resource officers, security offices, security cameras, access control doors and other safety and security equipment
* $968,497 to continue funds for maintenance of all district-wide facilities including buildings, equipment, playgrounds, athletic and planetarium facilities to provide for safe and efficient operations
* $1,300,000 to continue funds for school operational supplies, equipment and supplemental services
* $638,000 to continue funds for the support of WVU Extension Service, Artsbridge, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Wood County Libraries and the New Era School or other enrichment programs.