During the portion of Monday’s USD 428 Board of Education meeting designated for board member comments, Chris Umphres talked about instances of student battery and threats that have happened in schools. He did not mention specifics but said he wanted to go on record, “in the open session,” with some questions and concerns.

“I’ve got some parents that have had some things happen over the last couple of weeks and just wanted to get some stuff out in the open,” Umphres said. Speaking in general terms, he said he had questions “about how things are reported, how things get to the levels they’re supposed to get to, and the separate channels where they’re supposed to be.

“We’ve had some instances at some of the schools not only with battery but some threats that are pretty serious,” Umphres said. “And they’re getting reported, but how do we as parents know that they get to the channels they’re supposed to get to? So, a couple of examples: Student A assaults Student B. Student B talks about it, goes to the channels that they’re supposed to go through. Nothing happens. Within five weeks, Student B gets assaulted again,” he said.

“I think parents want to know that things are safe and things are getting taken care of,” he said. He mentioned possible battering of students who talked to a School Resource Officer (SRO) or an administrator.

“I know in one of these examples that some of the kids are pulled out of class and asked for witness statements, and then these same kids, then get blamed for it later on when they trusted upper administration and SROs and all that. So, without going into great detail, how do you ever trust the process if the kids are then being blamed, for the process that they’re giving a witness statement to?”

He mentioned the unavailability of videos. “I’ve heard videos, hundreds and hundreds of video cameras out in the district, but when it’s needed, it’s either deleted, hasn’t been looked at or the video wasn’t working that day. How do we do that? How do we trust the process?

“I’ve got lots of stuff but I want to try to be short,” he continued. “But, it just leads to too many other issues. So when things aren’t being taken care of, then the bullying starts happening – it can be as serious as suicide. Kids aren’t trusting that we’re doing our due diligence. What’s the next step?”

Umphres mentioned that he had checked the student handbook but wasn’t sure it was being followed.

Board member Deanna Essmiller asked, “what do we do as a board to make sure that things are being done?” but there was no further discussion on the topic.

Emergency Procedures Update

School safety was also mentioned during a report by Assistant Superintendent John Popp, who talked about the Emergency Procedures document/packet. This material is reviewed every year and the packets are placed in every classroom in the district at the beginning of the school year. The document summarizes specific actions to be taken regarding planning and preparedness for school emergencies.  Topics include Student Runaway/Abduction, Child Abuse/Neglect, Suicide Intervention, Unwanted Intruder, and School Safety and Evacuation Procedures for Fire, Tornado, and Bomb Threats. Also included in the emergency packet are the names and contact information for district and building crisis team members.

Executive session

The board did discuss a student matter in executive session toward the end of the meeting. It is not known what was discussed, other than “confidential information pursuant to the (Kansas Open Meeting Act) exception relating to actions adversely or favorably affecting a student.” The executive session was for 20 minutes and Superintendent Khris Thexton and GBHS Principal Tim Friess were asked to join the board.

The board called for a second executive session for another 20 minutes and a third one for 10 minutes, with Thexton and Friess at all three. No action was taken after the sessions other than the adjournment of the meeting at 7:58 p.m.

Personnel

The board approved two licensed teacher retirements and hired three teachers for the fall semester. Assistant Superintendent Popp said the district hired two elementary teachers even though it doesn't have a position for them yet.

Those retiring are Kathleen Moore, English as a Second Language teacher at GBHS, and Debra Stanton, special education  teacher at GBHS.

New appointments are Jose Arias, Student and Family Advocate (Family Support) at Lincoln Elementary School, and currently unassigned elementary teachers Will Dutton and Gretchen Westerhaus.

Meeting at a glance

Here’s a quick look at what happened at Monday’s Great Bend USD 428 Board of Education meeting:

• Volunteers in USD 428 learning centers were recognized.

• Employees reaching 20, 25, and 30-year milestones with the district were recognized.

• There was a presentation about Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month.

GBHS Lacy Wolters, ACT/Career Coordinator, and Assistant Principal Kip Wilson, CTE Coordinator, provided an update, highlighting the Career and Technology. The board approved an internship program for high school students.

• Mike Minton, a Gallagher Benefits Consultant, presented the board with a 2021 Best-in-Class Employer Award.

• During the COVID operations update, Superintendent Khris Thexton said the district started the week with zero active cases of COVID-19 among students. There were two staff members with active cases, at the Special Services Cooperative.

• The board approved the next curriculum adoption for K-6 music. The Quaver program was approved at a cost of $60,025. 

• Danielle Hollingshead, CPA with AdamsBrown LLC, presented the 2020-2021 business audit report and governance letter. The board approved this “clean” audit.

• The board had its first review of two possible calendars for the 2023-2024 school year.

• The board approved renewing a contract with First Responders KS LLC in Wichita for $6,660 to maintain 12 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) for the next three years. There are 22 of these devices located throughout the district. The other 10 are also maintained by the company; the three-year contract for their maintenance expires in 2024.

• The board approved extending the Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG-K) program at Great Bend High School for another year. The cost is $22,440 for two full-time teachers, an increase of $220 per teacher. Superintendent Khris Thexton said the state covers the rest of the cost. “We get a great deal on this,” he said. “We are looking into expanding into the middle school. It’s a very strong program.”

• The request for next year’s E-rate funding was approved. These are federal funds that come from cellphone fees. A total of $146,554.30 was approved for internet access, wide area network and rewiring all of the elementary schools, all to be done by Nextech. The e-rate funds cover $117,243.44 of the cost, and the district’s cost will be $29,310.86.

• The board approved the administration’s recommendation to create a position for a full-time director of Human Resources. Assistant Superintendent John Popp said at present HR-related tasks are distributed among several district office employees. The HR director’s primary job will be to direct and manage relevant human resource tasks and issues for nearly 700 district employees. The salary will be comparable to that of other department directors in the district.

• The superintendent’s report by Thexton included a legislative update and project updates.

• Grant applications and contributions were approved.

• Personnel changes were approved.

• Three executive sessions lasting a total of 50 minutes were held to discuss a student matter. Superintendent Thexton and GBHS Principal Tim Friess joined the board during these discussions.