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Students and alumni urge Liberty school board to reverse removal of debate coach
Summary
Multiple Liberty High School students and alumni told the Liberty Public Schools Board of Education that removing the school’s speech and debate coach harms students’ mental health, academic support and competitive results; speakers asked the board to reconsider and to preserve the program.
Several current and former members of Liberty High School’s speech and debate program pressed the Liberty Public Schools Board of Education during public comment to reverse the district’s decision to remove the high school debate coach, saying the coach provides academic support, mental-health check-ins and competitive coaching that students could not readily replace.
Olivia Lindsey, a 2023 Liberty High graduate and current junior at the University of Kansas, told the board the coach “went far beyond the call of duty of an average educator,” adding the coach provided snacks, weekly individual check-ins and tutoring beyond debate. “He is persistent in his efforts to remind every student that they matter, that they value, and they are enough,” Lindsey said.
The speakers said the coach’s work extended beyond contest instruction. Kaelin King, a current student, described speech and debate as a…
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