Casa Grande board approves districtwide student safety and support coordinator position

The Casa Grande Elementary District Board of Education on an aye vote approved a revised Student Safety and Support Coordinator position that the district says will combine emergency operations with preventative and student-support functions.

District staff told the board the change reflects a shift from a narrowly defined emergency-operations role toward a more integrated position that will work with counselors, student services and other departments to address threat assessment, suicide risk assessment, mental-health and behavioral supports. Dr. Lecke, district staff, said the district “didn't believe that our 2 objectives, would be accomplished by a similar split” with the high school district and that expanding the role offers “a potential benefit by expanding the role.”

The change was presented as an action item after the board heard from staff that the previous arrangement was a split role shared with the high school district, where the high school had compensated Casa Grande for a portion of that employee’s time. The board approved the position after Missus Sisson moved to approve it and Missus Schute seconded the motion. Roll-call votes recorded President Varela, Missus Sisson and Mister Schute voting aye.

District staff said the position will be districtwide and will work with all school sites and departments, including district office and transportation, to address vulnerabilities beyond campus emergency response. Dr. Lecke described the intended responsibilities as retaining the emergency-operations component while adding work on prevention, behavioral intervention and mental-health coordination alongside school counselors and student services.

On budget implications, staff said the full salary and benefits for the position are already encumbered in the budget but that the district previously expected reimbursement from the high school district and was not certain how much was actually received. Dr. Lecke told the board the change will “slightly” increase costs but that the district believes the position is warranted and is already financially encumbered pending reconciliation of invoices.

Board members asked whether the new position would continue collaboration with the high school’s safety protocols; staff said the coordinator will engage in interagency collaboration and that the high school will remain a partner, though it will not have the same shared-service arrangement as before.

The motion passed unanimously among the three members present. No public commenters addressed this item during the meeting.

The board moved on to other business following the vote.