LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tuesday night, the Jefferson County School Board met for the last time in 2022 and dove into its school safety plan.
The board reflected on the accomplishments over the year and the goals for the future. One goal for some are metal detectors.
It's been a decades-long debate in Louisville.
Longtime board member Linda Duncan spoke in favor of them during the meeting.
"I know we can't be perfect in this and I know we can’t cover every entrance every period of the day, but I hope that we can make a presence shown to this public that says we are doing something,” Duncan said.
Superintendent Marty Pollio said the district is looking into enhanced metal detectors that’ll be even more powerful than standard models, but he said implementing usage will take much more staffing.
"Right now, with the staffing crisis, to say that we’re going to dedicate eight staff members to every school is a huge challenge,” he said. “It is not something you can say, ‘okay, today we don’t have the staff so we’re not going to do that.’”
Gun violence and guns in schools are topics parents have been concerned about. A newly formed group within JCPS, the Violence Prevention Team, is tackling the problem head on by working with students and families affected by gun violence.
“This is an opportunity to listen to what the needs are and then help bridge that gap to the variety of resources that Louisville has to offer families,” Violence Prevention Team Director Stacie Gamble said.
Gamble said with the group just established in September, it'll take some time to measure, but she feels it's making a difference.
“We would like to think that us communicating and providing services to students that it is going to make an impact,” she said.
The Violence Prevention Team has several partners, including the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, the Louisville Metro Police Department, Restorative Justice Volunteers of America, Louisville Gun Violence Intervention Team and Juvenile Court.
In the past 12 months, $8.7 million has been allocated for school safety.
Pollio said he's proud of the plan, which has included an enhanced audio system for emergencies and School Safety Officers (SSO).
He expects it to take years to fulfill the district’s goal of 40 SSO’s.
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