Bellbrook‑Sugarcreek board approves 2026‑27 courses after debate over valedictorian language

The Bellbrook‑Sugarcreek Local School District Board of Education on Jan. 7 approved the district's 2026‑27 courses of study after a prolonged debate about language that determines valedictorian and salutatorian.

Board members and administrators spent substantial time debating a sentence in the course guide that stated valedictorian and salutatorian would be based on a student's cumulative seventh‑semester weighted GPA. One board member argued that using the seventh‑semester cutoff can disadvantage seniors who take year‑long Advanced Placement or college‑credit (CCP) courses, which sometimes are recorded after senior year and do not factor into a seventh‑semester calculation. Another board member urged caution, noting that handbook language currently drives operational decisions and that any change could create confusion for students signing up for classes.

The board considered multiple amendments: a motion to strike the words "seventh semester" failed on a roll call, but a later motion to remove parts of the paragraph about graduation honors and to refer readers to the student handbook for specifics was adopted. The final motion to approve the courses of study, with the amended language, passed on a 4‑yes roll call.

Superintendent and principals who presented the guide emphasized that the course document is intended mainly to help scheduling and that the handbook remains the authoritative source for honor designations. Board members agreed to return to the question during handbook review, asking administration for a fuller packet with options, consequences and a recommended timeline before making any handbook changes that would affect students.

The approved course guide includes the district's regular AP and CCP offerings and preserves the scheduling timeline for students, while the board directed staff to prepare detailed guidance for the March/April handbook review process. The board recorded its approval at the Jan. 7 meeting; the vote was recorded as four yeses and no recorded no votes for the main motion.