Casa Grande introduces coordinator of student support and safety

Casa Grande Elementary District Superintendent Doctor Lecky introduced Jim Bach on Tuesday as the district's new coordinator of student support and safety, a newly expanded role that combines physical emergency preparedness with prevention and student-wellness programming.

"We put the right infrastructure in place and the right training to respond to any safety issues on our campuses," Lecky told the board before inviting Bach to speak. Bach, who said he has been in education for about 25 years, described his approach as "holistic," pairing emergency response planning with trauma-informed practices, positive behavior supports and educator resilience strategies. "The first 3 weeks that I've been here in Casa Grande Elementary District has been fantastic," Bach said. "I've seen staff and leaders be very welcoming."

Why it matters: the district described the role as elevated from a prior safety coordinator position to add focus on preventative efforts such as climate and culture improvements, social-emotional strategies and collaborative student-support planning. The addition signals a district emphasis on both preparedness and proactive supports.

Board response and next steps Board members had no follow-up questions at the time of the introduction. Lecky concluded his superintendent report after introducing Bach and said the district will continue to brief the board on safety and implementation of student-support strategies.

Provenance: topic introduced when Doctor Lecky described hiring a coordinator focused on preventative aspects of safety (transcript excerpt: "we were able to hire a coordinator of student support and safety. It was previously just a safety coordinator position, but we felt like there was a need to focus on the preventative aspects of safety"), and concluded after Bach's brief remarks and board acknowledgement.