Linda Russell and Laura Foster, members of the Demopolis City Board of Education, attended the Alabama Association of School Boards’ Sept. 30-Oct. 1 conference on Leadership to Create the Optimal Learning Environment.

The session is a 6-hour core course of the AASB School Board Member Academy. The course was followed by a 3-hour workshop on Online Education and Virtual Learning that looked at virtual education trends and challenges as well as implications for board policy.

Laura Foster now has 275 total hours of academy training since 2004 and Linda Russell has 100 total hours since 2006.

Nearly 250 school board members and other education leaders from across the state benefited from the presentations on school culture and climate.

“This training was designed to help school board members create a culture of leadership and accountability and to start conversations in their communities and schools about preventative measures that address bullying, suspensions and other issues that impact teaching and learning,” said AASB President Steve Foster of Lowndes County.

“As board members, we strive to create a learning and teaching environment where there is mutual respect among students and teachers, where safety is a top priority, where leadership teams accomplish what they set out to accomplish, where teachers and administrators view seriously their professional development and growth. We hope AASB’s fall leadership course provided school boards with the information and tools they need to achieve this goal.”