Clinton County Board of Education held another busy regular meeting Monday evening with all board members on hand. Several presentations were made, the superintendent was evaluated and several items of general business were voted on.

The board first heard a student data report from Early Childhood Principal Sheldon Harlan, followed by a presentation and question and answer session on school safety measures at the high school from CCHS Principal Stacey Evans.

Evans detailed work that has been going on since last fall to make the school, students, property and faculty safer in light of school shootings and other incidents that have occurred locally as well as during this school year.

The principal noted the most important input on safety came from CCHS students themselves, who made several suggestions on how to keep the school safer.

Jim Davis, who is a teacher at the Alternative classroom at CCHS, also voiced concerns and made some suggestions on making that area of the school safer, saying that particular building was “vulnerable.”

Evans noted that the technology needed to fully implement all things needed in providing school security couldn’t be afforded overnight but can be phased in, such as the guard shack that is now being put in place to monitor school hour visitors.

Other aspects discussed included, but were not limited to, more parking lot monitoring cameras, automatic door locks and many other suggestions.

Safety issues and safety measures will continue to be put in place as a school safety plan has been put together and is an issue that involves not only the high school, but all schools in the district.

After approving previous board minutes, between meeting disbursements, paying claims and bills and approve a few student related trips, Board Chairperson Paula Little presented the monthly personnel report, as follows:

* Certified retired: Doug Sell, music/band teacher at CCHS and the middle school; Cindy Choate and Tammy Denney, CCHS guidance counselors, with the latter effective February 1, 2019.

* Certified hired: Logan Butler, music/band teacher at the high school.

* Certified resignation: Stacey Thomas, assistant principal at CCHS.

* Classified retired: Frances Ferguson, Secretary I at CCHS; Joy Hatfield, Secretary II at CCMS; Sherry Poore, Paraprofessional I, district-wide.

* Classified hired: Lucas Abner, girls’ golf coach at CCHS; Joshua Reneau, Cross Country coach, CCHS.

* Classified resignation: Diseph Soma, CCHS Cross County coach.

The board then approved policy and procedure updates as recommended by the Kentucky School Boards Association and approved the recommendation of the superintendent to amend the board’s certified salary, extra service increment schedule to include the Striving Readers Stipend list for the 2018-19 school year, which resulted from a grant received by the district.

The board also voted to establish a classified Early Childhood Worker position at $9.97 per hour, seven hours per day for 211 days per year and approve the job description for the position, which is funded solely from the Striving Readers grant. They also voted to establish a certified Speech Language Pathologist position, district-wide.

The board then voted to amend the job description for the Healthy Hometown Coordinator (April Speck.) Superintendent Charlotte Nasief said funding from other sources had been received to continue the Healthy Hometown coordinator position after the original Healthy Hometown grant fund expired.

The board then voted to approve the reimbursement agreement for Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) for the transportation department, requiring bus drivers, etc. to sign contracts to work for the district for a certain time, or pay back their CDL training expense and voted to approve the annual Procurement Plan for the 2018-19 school year.

Director of Pupil Personnel Julie York also presented the year-end attendance report, which showed overall attendance in 2017-18 down to 92.95, .28 from the 93.23 average the previous year.

York also discussed, and the board voted on, a couple of changes in the attendance policies, one to reduce the number of parent note days a student can receive from 10 to six and after a certain number of doctor statements per student, doctors would need to return a medical excuse form to the district.

York said that over nine thousands doctors notes for students were received during the past school year and hopes some changes to the policy will help increase student attendance in the future.

Finance Director Mike Reeves added that the amount of days used by all those doctor visits and missed classroom days by students cost the district around $200,000 in revenue, as districts are reimbursed by the state based upon the number of students in attendance at school each day.

After a brief superintendent’s report, the board, some one hour and 10 minutes into the meeting, entered into closed session to conduct the annual superintendent’s evaluation with no official votes being required upon returning to open session.

The meeting was adjourned following the evaluation of the superintendent.

The next work session of the board is slated for July 12 and next regular business meeting for July 16.