Nelson County School district responding to parents concerns at OKHMS
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette / WBRT Radio
Saturday, April 29, 2017 — Nelson County Schools Superintendent Anthony Orr spent most of Friday out of his usual office at the district’s Central Office and “on location” at Old Kentucky Home Middle School.
Orr has been spending a large part of each recent workday at the school as part of the district’s response to reports of violent and disruptive student behavior at the school. The incidents include reports of students bullying other students, and acts of violence between students and between students and staff.
Orr said Friday his presence at the school has been as both an observer and a resource to help support the administrators, staff and students in the wake of the incidents of violence at the school, some of which were reported to the district’s board of education at their meeting Tuesday night.
Several parents spoke to the board that night and expressed concerns for the safety of their children and the impact the incidents are having on the school’s learning environment.
The parents told stories of what their children had experienced or witnessed at the school.
“Some of those things I had heard, but some I had not,” Orr said. “Parents are upset, and I don’t blame them for being upset.”
Prior to the board meeting Tuesday, Orr said there were already discussions under way about working with the OKH staff in regard to additional ways they can respond to behavioral issues that may arise.
On Wednesday, he met with the school’s entire staff, a move he called an investment in the people who are the ones who work every day with students and have an interest in insuring students’ academic success.
The school has had what he called “typical middle school issues,” and he has been coaching teachers and administrators on methods to handle these issues.
“We want people in the building to make the decisions and take care of things,” he said, which is why the focus is on coaching and providing teachers and administrators with the tools they need to be successful.
The school has had its struggles in recent years, with changes in leadership, and significant staff turnover this school year.
Orr said some problems that surface at school can originate outside school hours via social media.
“Social media gives kids 24/7 access to one another, and like every other channel of communication, its easy for that to go south,” Orr said. When that happens, students can bring their frustration from social media interaction to school the next morning, and we have to deal with that.”
BOARD CONCERNS. Though the school board members did not respond directly to parent comments at Tuesday’s board meeting, Orr said they have been kept aware of the problems and were familiar with some of the complaints parents expressed Tuesday night.
“The board is engaged and concerned, and they are aware of what’s going on at the school,” he said.
Orr said he’ll maintain a significant presence at the school for the immediate future. He invited parents who may still have concerns to contact him directly at the district’s Central Office (502) 349-7000, or by email, anthony.orr@nelson.kyschools.us.
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