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Focus On Safety

The unfortunate and devastating school related tragedies our society has been witness to as of late have caused school officials around the country to have a heightened awareness and focus on all aspects of school safety. Anderson County Schools is no different; our number one priority is student and staff safety. To aid in these efforts, Anderson County Schools will be starting the 2013-2014 school year with a Director of Operations who will be focusing on School Safety, Security, Buildings and Grounds.

With a renewed focus on school safety, state legislators have made changes to law for the upcoming school year that effect how school leaders in Kentucky monitor and manage school safety programs.  During the 2013 General Assembly, a new section of KRS Chapter 158 was enacted to require each school to develop a new school safety and emergency plan to be reviewed yearly with school staff. To be included in the plan are revised and updated procedures for building lockdown, severe weather and tornado measures.  The Weapons policy and Assault and Threats of Violence policy sections of KRS Chapter 158 have also been reviewed with minor edits being made. Other new legislation (704 KAR 19.002) calls for a new Alternative School policy.

Legislators, like school administrators, want to tighten up procedures to ensure our children and faculty are safe and know how to respond if faced with an emergency situation.  Anderson County School administrators at all locations already have emergency plans in place, and have been working with local leaders and law enforcement to generate ideas to strengthen security procedures.  A district safety committee is in place and, under the direction of the Director of Operations, work has recently started to focus strictly on safety audits, regulations, policies and research surrounding school safety. The goal is to streamline safety procedures district-wide.   

In Anderson County, the Buildings and Grounds position had been vacant since 2009 as one of many ways to save money due to the decreasing revenue provided from the state and federal system for public education. The Building and District Administrators of Anderson County Schools have done an excellent job of adding these responsibilities to their plates over the last few years to ensure that our students and staff are safe, but as regulations change, it is evident that what is best for our students is to have a dedicated position that oversees this for our district. The Director of Operations will take on these responsibilities to ensure an administrator is providing daily monitoring of safety, security and buildings and grounds for all schools and buildings. This includes: safety audits, emergency plans, safety procedures, district-wide plans, procedures and response including transportation and maintenance, OSHA regulations, state law requirements, strong relationships with local law enforcement, emergency managers and first responders just to name a few. 

Anderson County Schools is fortunate to have active School Resource Officers in our buildings. They provide presence, support, and daily action needed to ensure our schools are safe and are a vital part of our team. Building and District administration work closely with them on a daily basis to maintain safe schools and grounds. As we move into the upcoming school year, the Director of Operations will be an additional team member working daily to ensure the safety of Anderson County students and staff.