The Christian County School Board heard a presentation on school safety at Thursday’s meeting and approved the creation of a Diversity Administrator position.
School safety remains a top priority in the district, especially as things start to return to normal from pandemic afflicted school years, and Jon Akers with the Kentucky Center for School Safety says many districts are looking for ways to keep children safe. He says metal detectors are always brought up, and while they have their uses, he thinks it’s even more important to develop trusting relationships between staff and students.
Assistant Superintendent Josh Hunt says groups from the center will be coming to schools on randomly selected days to evaluate the safety measures and will present recommendations on how to improve in those areas at a later date.
The board approved the creation of a Diversity Administrator, which Director of Alternative Programs Kim Stevenson says will have a focus on closing achievement gaps present in minority student groups, determine the root cause and present solutions to the problem.
Superintendent Chris Bentzel, along with board members, feels the position is a vital one that can really help students in the long run in multiple ways.
The position was approved unanimously, with the stipulation that the funding for it—which is currently through COVID-19 relief funding for the next three years—will not come from the general fund. Once that funding is out, the plan is to find funding through grants and other avenues.