Board keeps crisis-response coordinator under Safe Schools, adds communications duty and clarifies qualifications

The Marion County School Board on May 27 reconsidered and amended a newly proposed job description for a crisis-response coordinator, directing that the position remain under the district’s Safe Schools office rather than public relations and adding responsibility for crisis communication planning.

Board Member Lisonbee Campbell proposed that the job’s seventh duty be revised to read, "assist schools in developing effective crisis management and communication plans," a change several members supported. Reverend Eric Cummings and other board members urged that the role remain aligned with Safe Schools because the position will interact with law enforcement and federal agencies.

Human-resources staff and board members discussed the job’s minimum qualifications. Administrators recommended keeping a bachelor’s degree as a minimum for the administrative-level position while broadening the acceptable experience language to read "experience related to emergency management, law enforcement, and/or an equivalent combination of education and training." The description retains National Incident Management System (NIMS) and ICS-related course expectations and a three-year minimum experience benchmark.

The board voted to reconsider the staffing-plan amendment, then approved the amended job description by a 5-0 vote. Board members stressed urgency because the district wants the coordinator on staff in advance of hurricane season and said HR must balance hiring speed against the need for clear, stable qualifications so applicants are not disqualified by later edits.

District HR staff said the job posting could be updated after board-approved amendments and that the superintendent’s office will coordinate how interviews and hiring will proceed given the change in reporting line and duties.