Harrisonburg and Rockingham school superintendents brief business leaders on ‘State of Education’

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Business leaders in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County got to hear updates on local K-12 education this morning.

City Superintendent Dr. Michael Richards and County Assistant Superintendent Dr. Doug Alderfer spoke at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce’s State of Education event.

The moderated discussion covered topics such as cell phone and personal electronics policies and AI in the classroom. Richards said the schools should embrace the technology rather than reject it.

“Like other technologies, like the Internet, it’s pervasive, it’s part of students’ lives,” Richards said. “So, we’re going to help them understand it better and use it better use it properly, and it also provides a lot of tools for our teachers and educators.”

Other topics discussed included emergency response communication with parents and corporate partnerships with the schools.