#brookehighschool

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Brooke County Schools Preparing for AI Implementation

The first step is to educate the educators so the educators can educate. And “getting to know” what artificial intelligence can do is an experience on several different levels, including conversational interaction with apps like ChatGPT and information collection similar to how Google’s AI Mode operates. In many ways, according to Brooke County Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Crook, AI already is in use within the district. “We are utilizing artificial intelligence because AI has been around longer than all of the attention that’s being paid to it now. For example, there is the co-pilot option on Office 365,” he explained. “But we are aware of some of the issues connected to the potential ways that can be used by our students when it comes to their schoolwork. They will need to know as much as possible about artificial intelligence, but part of our job is to teach them how to use it effectively. “As we move forward, we’ll implement some safeguards,” Crook said. “It’s the same as when technology came into play and continues to update quickly. We do our best to keep ahead of all of the tech, and we’ll do the same with AI.” Adding hardware and software systems to expand the opportunities is nothing new to the educators and students at Brooke High School, and the development and construction of the steel Bruin sculpture in front of the high school is a great example. Brooke High Principal Eric James also recognizes the importance of teaching about artificial intelligence, but he does not wish for the school system’s students to utilize AI apps as shortcuts for schoolwork. “I don’t want it to replace learning and the academic integrity of what we do here, but there are a lot of positives with artificial intelligence, too,” said James, now in his third year in Brooke County. “But AI can also tailor content to a student’s individual needs, and I believe it could be utilized with students with disabilities in order to provide them with the things they need most right now. “From a teacher’s perspective, AI can help with administrative and teacher support, and it can help with organization and scheduling,” he said. “The worst thing we could do is ignore artificial intelligence because it’s going nowhere and our students and educators need to learn it as much as possible.” The use of artificial intelligence has spread a great deal since ChatGPT was first introduced in November 2022. Although the topic of artificial intelligence has been discussed for several years, James believes the time to teach AI has finally arrived and one more important lesson will be how to fact check to new programs with the use of simple systems like Google’s search engine. “I believe we’ll be incorporating AI in most of our classes in the future the same way we continue to adapt to the internet and what it brings us,” James said. “And I do think the accuracy and fairness involved with AI are topics that need to be discussed at length. Ther are concerns about the accuracy, and even the biases when it comes to AI, and that’s uncharted territory. “It’s imperative that we get a good grasp on it because it’s very new, especially to educators that have been teaching for 25-30 years,” the principal said. “But I do think there's a place for it, so I am anxious for the guidelines and regulations to be developed and put into place so we can properly embrace AI in the public school sector.” All public schools in Brooke County are equipped with the technology that's necessary for today's curriculum, but Dr. Crook expects additions will be made in the near future. Learned Lessons The World Wide Web went mainstream in the early 1990s, but its home and school use exploded between 1995 and 1998, and, for the most part, it was let loose without any warning labels or caution tape. So, with artificial intelligence, Dr. Crook believes cause and effect should be considered while teaching the basics of artificial intelligence. “When it came to technology like the internet and our devices, we knew our students would need to get to know how to use the internet to their benefit and how not to get involved with some of the evils that are involved. It took a while, but staying from that side of the online world is really important,” the superintendent insisted. “With AI, we have to make sure we’re using it in the effective ways like helping the kids come to know it instead of using it to replace the kids’ thinking skills. Board members for Ohio County Schools have introduced educational videos about the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to AI and smartphone apps that have been introduced. “But I do believe, just like we did with technology, we have to embrace artificial intelligence,” Crook said. “It’s definitely here to stay.” That’s why Crook will continue working with the members of Brooke County’s Board of Education on policy development that will define how AI will be utilized with curriculum and instruction. “We’ve had discussions about our overall direction with artificial intelligence, and that conversation began last year before everyone was talking about it,” he said. “But as far as getting specific, that is something that’s coming in the near future. Once it comes to writing a policy, that’s when we will have to get the legal folks involved. “We want to get it right for our kids,” the superintendent explained. “It’s about preparing them for the future, and AI is going to be here for the rest of our lives.” Crook does not know yet what requirements will be established for high school students in Brooke County when it comes to AI and what classes will be added in the near future. Crook expects the state Department of Education and Superintendent Michelle Blatt will address questions pertaining to the future implementation of AI applications within the Mountain State’s public school systems. “I do believe we should develop a class on artificial intelligence just like we’ve had classes on Office 365 and other computer programs,” he said. “I’m hoping the folks in Charleston development strategies for curriculum in the near future because there are a lot of aspects of AI that our young people need to know about. “There are a lot of apps out there, too, so it’s time to address it,” Dr. Crook added. “It’s something we’ve tasked Mike Burner with because he’s our technology director and he’ll keep tabs on what the state is doing so we all can stay in front of it and get our kids the education they need for their futures.” Read the full article

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School Security Bolstered in Brooke County Schools

The mass shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan on Sunday was yet another reminder of the next-level security that’s now necessary in public gathering places.

Sadly, that includes our schools.

More than 300 people have now been killed and nearly 1,400 have been injured in 310 shootings in the U.S. in 2025, and 11 school shootings have claimed four lives and have injured 38 others. That’s why, following a “knucklehead” incident in late August in front of Hooverstown Heights Primary School in Follansbee, upgrades were made by Brooke County School officials.

On August 26, an adult male was spotted carrying what appeared to be a long rifle along a street near the primary school, prompting responses from the school district’s security team and the Brooke County Sheriff’s Office.

“But what the man was actually carrying was an air rifle that did not have an orange nozzle,” reported John White, the school system’s Chief of Safety and Security. “He was only standing there for about 30 seconds before he got into a vehicle, according to the video, but thankfully, we had someone see what he was doing and make a call.

John White was hired as the district's Safety & Security chief in December 2020.

“Our community heard about the incident and reacted to the reports. They told us they wanted more security in their schools so that’s what’s taken place thanks to Dr. Crook and our Board of Education,” he said. “We now have two new resource officers on our team because a part of the school system’s job is to keep our kids safe while our educators are teaching them what they’re going to need to know for the future.

“But that can’t happen if we’re not keeping them safe while they are in our care, so, that’s why decisions have been made to add additional resource officers after we had a knucklehead walk across the road toward the school with what appeared to be a rifle.”

Although the man was not guilty of breaking any West Virginia laws, White found the scenario alarming.

“Why would someone think it’s a good idea to carry anything resembling a rifle near a school is beyond me, but that’s why it was a very eye-opening and scary situation,” he explained. “In this day and age, for something like that to happen is unacceptable.

“From a law enforcement perspective, it was eye-opening and a very scary situation,” White said emphatically. “Even though the man didn’t commit a crime, it showed us another hypothetical that we needed to cover.”

White speaks often with the students of Brooke County Schools just to make their everyone is on the same page when it comes to reacting to emergency situations.

Hard Targets

It was announced in mid-December 2020 that John White was hired to be the lead resource officer for Brooke County Schools, and that’s why residents already know he has a law enforcement background that’s rooted in the Northern Panhandle.

He’s not the news here.

The reaction White has provoked, however, is headline-worthy.

“We knew when we brought John on board that, no matter what situation we might have, our staff would be prepared to handle it and to collaborate with our Brooke County Sheriff’s Office, with the State Police, and the police departments,” explained Brooke County Superintendent Dr. Jeff Crook. “Now that we have hired two more resource officers, we have six with John as the lead and we’re just as confident in him as we were five years ago.

“He’s become an expert at school safety during his career in law enforcement and in school systems in Sarasota, Fla., so when adding officers was his recommendation, we knew we had to make it happen,” he said. “He has a wealth of knowledge that he’s brought to us in Brooke County, and we’re a better school system with him in charge of safety and security.”

When it comes to school security, the district's athletic facilities are included when planning for critical scenarios.

White has also revamped all other aspects connected to safety, from structural renovations to updated surveillance systems.

“We have the man traps in our schools, and we have emergency procedures in place that we practice often,” he described. “We also have great relationships with our Sheriff’s Office and our police departments in Brooke County, and we know we can count on those officers when they are needed for a situation we may have.

“It’s about safety and the plans are in place,” White insisted. “We have upgraded the security system that was in place when Dr. Crook and I started working together, and we have reacted to this air rifle situation the way our parents and taxpayers wanted us to react.”

Brooke High School was opened in 1969 for the consolidation of the high schools in Bethany, Follansbee, and Wellsburg, and 840 students are currently enrolled in the high school while 1,377 other boys and girls attend classes in the other five schools.

Despite the number of school-based shootings recorded over the past few decades, Crook believes far too many local folks believe such horror could never materialize in this region, and that’s why he’s quick to remind anyone the unpredictability of tragedy.

“We do hear it all the time, and we want that to remain true for an infinite amount of time,” Crook said. “But we have to take the proper precautions to protect our children, so that’s exactly what we’ve done. We also review our security plans frequently just to make sure we’ve got the best systems in place because the technology is always improving.

“We’ve learned we can’t allow our schools to be soft targets,” the superintendent added. “So, that’s exactly why we’ve made the changes we’ve made.”