Policy adjustments, new personnel, inclusivity issues and facility matters were all covered by the USD 251 North Lyon County Board of Education during a four-hour meeting this week.
Conversations continue about diversity and inclusion after an incident in January where a middle school student said she was a lesbian on a bus ride home and was told she couldn’t ride for a week after foul language and disobeying the driver. The case is still under an outside investigation, but Superintendent Bob Blair says the district is committed to diversity, inclusion and making sure students feel welcome regardless of their situation.
During the meeting, the North Lyon County Education Association read a statement noting its dedication to teaching in a safe, inclusive environment.
Part of the board’s discussion was also to review the district’s Conscious Discipline policies. Conscious Discipline is a program developed to help social-emotional learning and classroom management, but some concerns have arisen about consequences after code of conduct violations. Superintendent Bob Blair says the board is adjusting the policy to add a point system to help with “behavioral expectations.” Blair says the point system is attractive because it offers consistency and predictability to discipline matters.
The district also chose a new principal at North Lyon County. Robert Hampton comes to the district from USD 114 Riverside, where Blair spent time as superintendent before coming to North Lyon County.
Hampton is currently Riverside’s principal for grades 3-8. He replaces Corey Wiltz, who is moving to Emporia High to be an assistant principal and athletics director come July.
For facility matters, the board continued discussions on work to bring a new preschool facility to life by the start of the fall 2022 academic year. The district bought property near North Lyon County Elementary for that purpose, and the board discussed remodeling plans and costs to have that available for 4-year-olds starting in the fall of 2022. In addition, the board discussed capital outlay improvements. Bids are out to repaint and do some siding work at Northern Heights High School, and the district is converting all interior lights at its facilities to LEDs this summer.
