Earlier this week, Trigg County Public Schools Board of Education members held a lengthy workshop — discussing all of suggested and required district policy changes developed by the Kentucky School Boards Association, in order to properly align with state law.
Thursday night, board members approved a long list of these amendments — which will go into effect beginning 2025-26.
While the list of ordinances has some nuanced language, a lot of the new literature brings immediate impacts to students, staff and families.
For instance:
+ Electronic signatures now hold the same weight as handwritten ones.
+ School Resource Officers remain mandated, while the new “Guardian” job posting has been moved to 2026-2027.
+ Teacher contracts must now be available upon request.
+ Coach CPR Training must meet KHSAA and industry standards.
+ To avoid conflict of interest, district employees can’t act on behalf of vendors with state-approved materials.
+ School budgets must now appear with a local clerk, in a newspaper and online.
+ Graduation requirements must reinforce civics, financial literacy and advanced credit.
+ During the Pledge of Allegiance, there must be a 1-to-2-minute “moment of silence” and daily moment observed.
+ In human sexuality, abuse prevention instruction is allowed.
+ Schools may now stay open on Election Day, save the Presidential one every four years.
+ Suicide prevention discussions must include “high-quality programming.”
+ Police reports are now mandatory for “serious damage” to school property.
+ Academic and attendance checks are required for students 15 years and older for permits and driver’s licenses.
+ And more.
More clarity will come on all policy changes when the Code of Conduct is revealed prior to the 2025-26 academic year.
In other school news:
— No new litigated developments have come in the continued contentious disagreement between a host of Trigg County parents and board member Charlene Sheehan, following a March incident at the West Cadiz Park.
However, Kevin Hestand of King’s Chapel Road did ask if the soon-to-be-implemented House Bill 181, aimed at creating safe adult-to-student online and written communications, pertained to board members, teachers, administrators and other faculty.
Booth’s only response, his first in this chain of back-and-forths, was that Sheehan and other board members “are not employees of the school district,” and therefore Sheehan’s alleged actions wouldn’t fall under this new state law.
Board members are elected officials, voted for by Trigg County citizens.
Under advisement from School Attorney Jack Lackey, Sheehan didn’t respond.
+ Booth did mention the district is experiencing its “dead period” for athletics at this time, but the campus is still bustling. The Trigg County Middle School gymnasium floor is “complete,” while the Trigg County High School gymnasium has “most of the interior demolition complete.”
In fact, Booth ran into a pair of his former students in Russellville working the demolition: Eric Zamarripa and Nathan Cates.
+ Booth also noted that considerable progress has been made on the Studer Education plan. Its four tenants — Students, Team, Stakeholders and Facilities — will only get stronger play this next school year.
Many of these themes, Booth added, will naturally have a “Wildcat Nation” flavor to them in the coming years.
