THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 3, 1995 TAG: 9512020155
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: WHO WILL LEAD OUR SCHOOLS?
SOURCE: PROFILES BY ELIZABETH THIEL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
Barbara Head's concern about safety in schools heightened after 1992, when City Council appointed her to the School Board.
That's when she began to see more and more middle school students appearing before the board for expulsion cases. The board decides on all expulsions.
``We're not doing something right if we have children coming to us with problems in the middle school,'' said Head, who now serves as the board's vice chairwoman.
Head would like to stay on the board to continue her work as an advocate for school safety.
Communication between the board, parents, students and school employees will be the key to coming up with effective ways to curb safety and behavior problems, she said.
``I think a lot of people envision big fences with barbed wire on them,'' she said. ``That's not what we need.''
Head suggests creative ways of dealing with the problem. Western Branch High School, for example, has formed a student conduct committee of students, parents and staff to discuss behavior issues.
That committee, along with more security monitors and cameras in the school, has produced a sharp decrease in the number of student fights this year. Head said Western Branch High last year had reported 11 fights as of the first week in November. This year, for the same period, there had only been one.
Head has suggested principals be equipped with cellular phones in case of emergencies. And she has asked that police dogs search for drugs and weapons in the middle schools as well as the high schools.
``Those students need to know how serious the problem is, before they get to high school,'' she said.
All in all, Head said, she's been happy with the education her daughters have received since they switched from a private school in Portsmouth to public schools in Chesapeake. Head and her husband moved to Chesapeake to get a better education for the girls.
Her only concern, she said, ``is across the city of Chesapeake, there should be equality for all schools.''
There should be standard policies at all schools, so parents and students are not frustrated by different treatment.
``Consistency is important, because they know what to expect,'' she said. Schools ``have to be customer-friendly.''
Head said experience is important for people who want to serve on the School Board.
``It takes a long time to get the feeling of being comfortable with the challenge,'' she said.
Barbara B. Head
Age: 45
Occupation: Budget analyst, Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Born: Savannah, Ga.
Years in Chesapeake: nine
Residence: Western Branch
Family: Husband, Bob; daughters Angie, 22, and Julie, 16
Education: Churchland High School graduate, 1969; courses at Tidewater Community College
Community Service: Member and officer, Western Branch Council of Civic Leagues; member, board of directors, Chesapeake Council of Civic Organizations; chairwoman, ways and means committee, Taylorwood Women's Club; former member, Mayor's Task Force on Year-Round Schools, 1991; member, executive committee and educational subcommittee, Chesapeake's 30th Anniversary Celebration planning group, 1993; member, women's division and education committee, Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce, Chesapeake division
Official endorsements: Chesapeake Education Association
How to reach: 488-4348; e-mail: bbhead(AT)pen.k12.va.us
Major campaign issues: Increasing the use of computers and other technology in schools; school safety; community and parental involvement in education ILLUSTRATION: Appointed to the School Board, Barbara B. Head is concerned
about safety in schools.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION CANDIDATES CHESAPEAKE SCHOOLS
PROFILE by CNB