Trigg County’s Board of Education had only one action item of which to speak on Thursday night, but it was pivotal in regard to student behavior for the upcoming year.
Following the guidance from Director of Pupil Personnel James Mangels, members unanimously approved all changes to the “2024-25 Code of Conduct” handbook — officially codifying all known changes handed down not only from recent state laws, but also anything internally implemented.
The biggest changes, of course, are the tobacco/vape/nicotine policies — which involve all prohibition on campus properties both owned and leased. Mangles confirmed to board member Clara Beth Hyde that those same changes would be coming to the employee handbook.
The definition of “hazing” has also changed, and now reads as:
“A direct action which substantially endangers the physical health of a minor or student for the purpose of recruitment, initiation into, affiliation with, or enhancing or maintaining membership or status within any organization — including, but not limited to, actions which coerce or force a minor or student to
a) violate federal or state criminal law;
b) consume food, liquid, alcoholic liquid, drug, tobacco product, or other controlled substance which subjects the minor or student to a risk of serious physical injury
c) endure brutality of a physical nature, including whipping, beating or paddling, branding, or exposure to the elements;
d) endure brutality of a sexual nature;
or e) endure any other activity that creates a reasonable likelihood of serious physical injury to the minor or student.
Furthermore, Mangels said district transportation policies wouldn’t arrive from the Kentucky Department of Education until early August, just before the start of school.
In other school news:
— An online registration “help night” has been scheduled from 4-6 PM August 1, and Mangels noted more than 29% of the entire district has already registered for the 2024-25 school year.
In his first meeting as superintendent, Rex Booth noted he would be pushing out a live update Friday or early next week, on how to work through the online registration portal.
— Booth also noted that considerable paving is being completed all across the campus. This includes the district’s front-facing lot, as well as the road between East End Cemetery and Trigg County High School, connecting Main and Lafayette streets.
However, there is some damage that has been discovered along that path.
— Booth said the district learned Thursday it had been awarded the “Fresh Fruit and Vegetables” snack grant, valued at more than $95,000.
