CCS board elects officers; gets update on school’s new apps

Chase County Schools’ Board of Education wasted little time at its Jan. 10 meeting when choosing who would serve as the board’s president, vice president, secretary and treasurer going into 2023.
Unanimously, board members chose the same people who served in the positions last year: Karl Meeske, Willy O’Neil, Carrie Terryberry and Steve Wallin, respectively.
In other action, Becky Odens, Chase County’s K-6 principal, told the board the school’s multi-tiered system of supports for student intervention has been going well.
“We’re just working our way up,” she said. “The teachers can document what they’ve been working on that week with those kids who are getting intervention and, after so many weeks, see how they’re doing.”
If student issues persist, she continued, teachers may adjust their approach or – if the situation appears untenable – seek a referral to more specialized educational options. In a later interview, CCS Superintendent Adam Lambert said the overall process takes about “three to six weeks.”
“All is good on the discipline front,” according to 7-12 Principal Christopher Barr, who reported school attendance last month registered at 93.8%.
“That’s awesome for December,” he told the board. “You usually see kids go on trips – nope, they were in school, which is excellent. It’s where we want them to be.”
The board discussed two online apps: Raptor Alert and the Rooms App.
Raptor is designed to streamline communication in case of an emergency, allowing precise communication with dispatchers, law enforcement and school personnel.
“Basically, this app enables staff and administration to send out a warning via our phones,” Lambert said, “if there’s a fire, if there’s an intruder, if there’s a disciplinary issue that requires an administrator.”
Regarding a Jan. 6 incident when a fire alarm went off due to sensor issues and the school was evacuated, Barr said, “Boy, that system could have been beneficial.”
The Rooms App, Lambert said, is “our new platform that we use to communicate any type of messaging out to students or parents.” It provides information on school events and issues by online post in a format similar to Twitter.
The app, Barr told the board, has been updated for each teacher as of Jan. 4, adding, “That’s what we’re using now; there’s no more anything else.”
Regarding action items, the board approved KSB School Law as its legal counsel; Adams, Pinnacle and Waypoint banks as the school’s “primary custodian[s] of funds”; The Imperial Republican as the official district paper and McCook Daily Gazette as emergency backup; the district’s early resignation program; the superintendent as non-discrimination compliance coordinator; and non-discrimination verbiage under the school lunch program in the student handbook.
High school sophomore Jasmine Johnson took notes beside board members as a representative from Chase County’s Student Council.
At the meeting’s start, Lambert noted some of the board members had told him they wanted a Student Council presence in order to facilitate communication between the two groups.
While Johnson spoke little during the meeting, she noted its “order” of proceedings, along with places where the Student Council might present an idea for consideration. Board meetings, she said in an interview, have a similar structure to those she attended for FFA.
Depending on her schedule, Johnson said, she planned to have either herself or another member of the Student Council present at the board’s next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 14. Once prepared, she added, she would like to speak to the board on shortening each school class by “a minute or two” in order to extend the student lunch period by “eight or 16 minutes.”
As someone who lives a short drive into the country, she often has “to go fast” when driving home for lunch between the allotted break from 11:22 to 11:55 a.m. A longer lunch period, she said, “will help students not have to drive recklessly.”
For this and future student issues, Johnson said, a representative from inside that group will “have more of an impact” when compared to a teacher who experiences it secondhand.
Lambert, hearing of Johnson’s proposal, said, “That’s great she has ideas.” Through bringing in the council, he hopes to engage further with student opinions.
During her report, Odens announced an update on two Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program fundraisers. The program’s cake raffle raised just over $1,000; its hoop shoot for soft drinks raised $344.