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Barren County board discusses school safety, approves adding mental health coordinator

Glasgow Daily Times - 3/9/2018

March 09--GLASGOW -- Barren County Schools is "certainly committed to everyone's safety," said Dan Orman, training coordinator for the Kentucky Center for School Safety, during the BCS Board of Education's meeting Thursday in the Barren County High School media center.

Orman said when he performs school safety assessments, he always looks for "commitment over compliance," and "a real commitment, not just checking boxes on safety and security measures."

"It's easy to see when the commitment is present and not just compliance," he said, adding that he thinks BCS is committed to tweaking and improving safety and security in its schools.

Orman stressed the importance of building relationships with students and families, and said addressing mental health in schools "is a huge piece of preventative school safety."

BCS addressed this issue with the creation of a new position -- a district mental health coordinator -- which the board approved Thursday night.

"I think that's going to be a great asset," said Anthony Frazier, BCS director of pupil personnel. After the meeting, he told the Glasgow Daily Times that mental health was a big issue emphasized by community members in a recent survey.

Frazier said this position would help with counseling students and their families if there was an event or a crisis issue.

"We have that person on-hand who can meet with those families and meet with the students," he said. "To me, one of the most important parts would be the follow-up, and making sure that we are creating a plan for that student to transition back to our buildings if there were to be an incident or an issue with them.

"It also adds another piece in the field of mental health, giving families and students the ability to speak to someone that is licensed -- that is something that we are preferring in this field."

During his presentation to the board, Frazier said they want to add more School Resource Officers to the school district.

Orman said adding SROs is the "No. 1 thing we can do."

"I'm a big believer in police officers and having police officers in a school," Orman said. "They are the ones who should be armed. They are best equipped to handle emergency situations."

BCS Superintendent Bo Matthews said that school safety is an issue that "continues to evolve," and is "certainly on our hearts and minds."

BCS Board Chairman Charlotte Beals later added that "we take it seriously."

In other business, the board approved the following change orders to the CTE and Athletic Field Replacement project: omit two ovens for a credit of $51,494; delete sloped tops and provide standard tops for all athletic lockers for a credit of $533; adding seven additional signs for the cost of $308; and omit "C" shaped workstation in Technology 233 for a labor credit of $480 and a material credit of $2,675.

The board also approved various out-of-state/overnight travel for students including a trip to the Huntsville Space and Rocket Center for sixth-graders at North Jackson Elementary as well as a trip to Nashville for Barren County High School Future Farmers of America students where they will "witness specific sales and marketing techniques implemented by the music industry and the Grand Ole Opry," according to the agenda for the meeting.

The board approved the creation of an interim finance director position and the advertisement of bids for CDL drug testing and mowing services.

At the beginning of Thursday's meeting, the board recognized the following people: Reva Bland, Barren County Middle School teacher, certified employee of the month; Chris Tunks, BCMS registrar, classified employee of the month; BCHS junior Travis Ballard, student of the month; BCMS eighth-grader Leah Duncan, student of the month; Serena Duncan, BCMS volunteer coordinator, volunteer of the month.

The board also recognized the BCHS Beta Show Choir for its recent accolades, as well as Logan Brooks, teacher for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, for becoming a National Board Certified Teacher.

"Being a National Board Certified Teacher is one of the greatest honors you can receive," BCS Assistant Superintendent Cortni Crews said. "Logan has earned that this year. We are certainly proud of her and we want to make sure she knows it."

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(c)2018 the Glasgow Daily Times (Glasgow, Ky.)

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