Christian County school board members approved contracts for school resource officers and were advised all school districts could learn next week what the governor has planned for the remainder of the school year in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Gemmill informed board members during a virtual meeting Thursday night the commissioner of education advised all superintendents statewide to be on stand by for a conference call next week with Governor Andy Beshear.
Gemmill added she will also be meeting with the directors and the three high school principals to discuss plans for graduation.
Board member Lindsey Clark suggested maybe they could use the bleachers on both sides at the Stadium of Champions and possibly limit the number of guests allowed for each student to allow for social distancing.
Gemmill requested they have a special called board meeting next week to discuss graduation ideas after her conference with the governor. She said they would also need to discuss waivers for student Work Seals.
Board members approved a memorandum of understanding with the Christian County Health Board for the parking lots at Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School and the Stadium of Champions be used for COVID-19 testing sites if needed.
In other business, Chief Operations Officer Brad Hawkins explained that Senate Bill 1 requires a full-time school resource officer in every school, but the district is easing into this until they know what legislators are going to do with school safety money. He said they would hire three SRO’s with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office for a cost of over $139,000, which also includes body cameras.
Board members unanimously approved the contract with the sheriff’s office as well as a contract agreement with the Hopkinsville Police Department for five SRO’s – two for each of the high schools, two for the middle schools and one for the alternative school for a cost of over $282,000.
All board members expressed their gratitude to all the food service workers who have continued to provide meals to students while schools have been closed.
And board members approved canceling the board meeting/workshops on May 7 and June 4, placing the agenda items on the agenda for the regular meeting scheduled for Thursday evening, May 21 at 6:00.
