Lanier senior urges Jackson schools to add student crisis‑response team with CPR training

Lanier High senior Mackenzie Hodges Woods asked the Jackson Public Schools Board of Trustees on March 18 to add trained students to school crisis‑response teams with both CPR certification and active‑shooter training.

Woods told the board she organized the proposal as a three‑part model — identify, prepare and ready — and submitted suggested language changes to several district policies and plans, including references she cited as “JKAD (Scholar Safety),” the district Emergency Response Plan (EBBAG) and the district emergency drills policy (EBAB). She proposed training and certification opportunities beginning in elementary grades (she suggested fourth and fifth grades), a middle‑school team and a broader volunteer program for high school students (grades 9–12), and recommended use of school assemblies, health classes or extracurricular sessions for instruction. She said some community partners, including the Jackson Federation of Teachers, can provide after‑shooting and CPR training at no cost.

The student’s pitch included operational details: that students as young as 9 can learn basic CPR; that selection could be by sign‑up with limited team rosters in elementary grades; and that high‑school participation could be voluntary and integrated into summer‑bridge or extracurricular programs. Woods also presented supporting statements from a coach (Jamal Phillips), a fellow scholar (Arjuna Cooper) and a community coordinator (Roslyn), who described the training as “needs‑based” and potentially lifesaving in unpredictable emergencies.

Board members and staff applauded the level of detail in Woods’s presentation. Superintendent Dr. Green complimented the student for identifying specific policy language to change and for outlining how the proposals could be operationalized at elementary, middle and high school levels. Board member Mr. McGuffey and others pressed Woods on two practical concerns: whether students would want this responsibility and whether the district should expect students to intervene in active‑shooter situations. Woods said she believed many students would volunteer for CPR training as a lifesaving skill and that active‑shooter training would primarily focus on knowing how to protect themselves and assist staff rather than directing students to confront shooters.

Board members also raised questions about parental consent and legal or insurance constraints. Dr. Green and other administrators said the district would need to review liability, parental‑consent procedures and any required policy or collective‑bargaining implications before recommending implementation. Several board members encouraged the proposal's further review by staff and the policy committee rather than immediate adoption.

No formal action was taken on the proposal at the March 18 meeting. The board requested administrators examine operational details, legal and insurance issues and how parental consent would be obtained; members said they expect the district to report back with options that include safeguards and selection criteria.

Woods concluded by inviting further questions and thanking the board; presenters and several board members praised the student for preparing specific policy language and operational suggestions.