Times Journal

Posted March 26, 2013 at 8:36 pm

Superintendent Kenny Pickett announced that the school was now in possession of the six AR-15 semi-automatic rifles of which their location had been questioned by board member Gerald Murray during the February school board meeting on Monday night.

“It’s been determined that the sheriff’s office purchased the weapons for the school board. The school board, in turn, reimbursed the sheriff’s department for the weapons,” said Pickett.

“The weapons were never issued in any school name, or sheriff’s department name. The weapons were issued to each individual officer who was issued that weapon. As of today we have recovered every weapon that the school board bought, every item that the school board purchased as far as school safety is now in our possession.”

Pickett wanted to make clear that the weapons were purchased in 2005 while he was the middle school principle and most board members were not seated.

The next step will be to decide what to do with the weapons, Pickett said. The weapons are still registered to the then school safety officers and he said that school board attorney Jeff Hoover would present the board members with options they have at the regularly scheduled April school board meeting.

Another issue addressed by Pickett prior to getting to school board business was that he indicated he had received numerous calls regarding a trip to the KHSAA Sweet 16 boys’ basketball tournament held in Lexington, and whether it was proper to have school funds pay for the trip.

Pickett said it was an official school business trip to attend a finance institute hosted by the Kentucky Association of School Administrators and that he had authorized the money for the trip for himself, Director of College and Career Readiness Darren Gossage and Finance Director Marla Carnes.