Marion County Schools

ACAP Math Scores rise 10% for Marion County Schools

HAMILTON — The Marion County Board of Education held its August meeting on Friday, Aug. 15. The board dealt with a variety of school matters, including approving school trips and the use of school facilities, as well as personnel changes--which are listed below. Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sutton was asked later to comment on the recent 2025 Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program results, where Marion County stood out as one of the schools with double-digit growth in ACAP math scores.

Schools change policies regarding cell phone use

A new act signed into law this year will eliminate the kind of scenes shown above during school hours. The FOCUS Act calls for cell phones and other wireless devices to be off and off the person at school. Shown above, from left, are students Lizzie Lockhart, Corey Hooper and Titus McCarley.

A new act signed into law this year will eliminate the kind of scenes shown above during school hours. The FOCUS Act calls for cell phones and other wireless devices to be off and off the person at school. Shown above, from left, are students Lizzie Lockhart, Corey Hooper and Titus McCarley.

MARION COUNTY — School begins tomorrow for the 2025-2026 school year for Marion County Schools and today for Winfield City Schools. What do students, and parents, need to know about the new legislature act concerning cell phone use in schools?

City, county schools form partnership

careertech

Students talk to a rescue helicopter crew as part of the Emergency Fire Management program.

WINFIELD — Winfield City Schools are partnering with Marion County Schools to allow students from Brilliant and Marion County high schools to attend career tech classes on Winfield’s campus.
Students will travel to the high school for two periods during the day, and then travel back to their school. These classes are currently meeting at the high school, but will be moved to the new facility located in the old SITEL building once it is fully completed and approved for use.

Literacy act in effect for the school year

Belinda McRae

Belinda McRae

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY — Alabama schools are preparing for new rules that will see third graders who fail the reading portion of the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program test held back a grade.
In 2019, the Alabama Literacy Act was established to improve the reading proficiency of public school kindergarten through third grade students and to ensure those students are able to read at or above grade level by the end of the third grade.

Schools respond to threat misinformation

ges

A Guin police vehicle is parked outside of Guin Elementary School on Thursday, April 27, while schools within Marion County were on a “soft lockdown,” due to misinformation on social media regarding threats made to Phil Campbell High School the previous day.

MARION COUNTY — Marion County schools took safety precautions last Thursday, April 27, after social media response to a threat made on social media towards a school in another county.
Earlier last week, threats were made against Phil Campbell High School in Franklin County.  
According to Marion County Schools Superintendent Ann West, even though Phil Campbell is not in Marion County, someone created a post on the social media app Snapchat to say that children should not be in school that day because of the threats to Phil Campbell.

School test scores revealing in core subjects

The top three schools in overall English/Language Arts are Guin (72.6 percent), Winfield (72.1 percent) and Hamilton (65.1 percent) elementary schools.

By P.J. Gossett
General Manager
MARION COUNTY — Standardized test scores have been released for the 2021-2022 school year for the entire state regarding public schools. Students took the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, along with the college-entry ACT test. The data is available online for each school or for comparison to other schools or districts.

Schools facing effects of “Don’t Say Gay” bill

Classroom

By Louis Mellini
Staff writer
MARION COUNTY — An Alabama law prohibiting transgender K-12 students from using the bathroom which aligns with their gender identity, while also prohibiting discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation, is now law and will be up for vote as a new rule for schools in the state this week.
While the law came into effect in April of this year, The Alabama Board of Education voted whether or not to implement the new law as a rule for schools in the state.

COVID-19 affecting students

Students

Students change classes on Monday morning, Jan. 31. Marion County Schools Superintendent Ann West said Marion County schools saw a spike of cases, but that number has started to decrease.

By Louis Mellini and
Luke Brantley
Staff writers
MARION COUNTY — This round of COVID-19 outbreak has seen a noticible uptick in cases among younger people throughout the nation, putting strains on school systems throughout the country.
Marion County Superintendent  of Education Ann West and Winfield City Schools Superintendent of Education Randy Thomley spoke to the Journal Record concerning the recent spread of COVID affecting their respective schools.

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