BOYLE COUNTY SCHOOLS

News release

At Boyle County Schools, the safety of our students is paramount. We are in the midst of a three-year safety plan, which has four focus areas: security, mental health, supervision, and drills and protocols. The plan has made great progress in its first year and a half,  and the majority of the objectives have been fulfilled, though they often are ongoing programs.

One of this year’s major endeavors is the addition of a third School Resource Officer, which falls under the security focus area. School Resource Officer Ricky Sellers says, “The third officer will allow us more flexibility in all areas of safety, from conducting safety checks, to assisting during student drop-off and pick-up, to interacting with our students.” Other security initiatives include a centralized camera system, morning drop-off monitoring, and extended training for our staff.

In the mental health focus area, we are working to ensure all students feel supported and connected to their peers and school staff. We continue to teach our students resilience skills, so they are equipped with healthy coping strategies when stressors occur in their lives. We also have worked to reduce bullying and empowering our students to speak up when they, or someone they know, is being bullied. Additionally, we have taught our students the dangers of social media and how they can protect themselves. Finally, we have provided resources for parents and teachers to support these ideas.

Within the supervision focus area, we are ensuring an adult is present with students at all times and is watching for any potential safety concerns. This includes teachers, school staff, bus drivers, coaches, and other extracurricular sponsors. Not only are they maintaining order and safe practices, but they are ensuring our campus grounds remain secure as well.

In the drills and protocols focus area, we have implemented safety preparedness at the schools. We conduct safety drills at each school, throughout all parts of the day. With the drills, students are prepared in case there is an incident while they are in class, as well as when they are not in the classroom, perhaps in the hall or entering the school. Additionally, we are better able to monitor who is in our buildings, as all staff must wear badges and all visitors must sign in with our Raptor system.

“We want parents to feel comfortable leaving their children with us every day. We are constantly looking for ways to improve the safety of our schools and prevent any incidents that could impact the well-being of our students,” commented Chris Holderman, Boyle County Schools Assistant Superintendent.

As we progress through this safety plan and beyond, we are working to continually ensure we are providing a safe learning environment for our students.

For more information on how we keep our children safe, please contact Assistant Superintendent Chris Holderman at (859) 236-6634.