Pulaski County survey: majority of students and staff feel welcome, district flags communication gaps

Dr. Tara Grant presented district school-culture survey results from October, saying nearly 1,200 students and hundreds of staff, parents and community members responded. "I feel like I belong at this school" drew about 60% 'agree/strongly agree' among students; when neutrals are included Dr. Grant said the agree+neutral share approaches 90%.

The survey covers academics, behavior and social-emotional indicators, and Dr. Grant told the board that sense of belonging emerged across those domains as a central issue. She highlighted items where responses suggested room for improvement: roughly 20% of students and about 20–30% of parents or community respondents reported they do not feel fully informed about school events and opportunities. On bullying, Dr. Grant said "strongly agree and agree" responses clustered around 40% with another roughly 30% neutral, leaving an estimated 25–30% not endorsing that bullying is handled effectively.

Student representative Jeremiah Turner, invited to give an update, said some schools reported weapon-detection rates "somewhere around 9%" and later referred to "under 10%"; Turner also told the board students are adjusting to new safety procedures and suggested practical measures for improving engagement on virtual days, including teacher office hours, synchronous check-ins, and paper packets for students with limited internet access. "Athletes had a faster overall reaction time," one student-presenter reported during recognitions when asked about a project comparing reaction times.

Board members and staff discussed next steps: schools will review the four survey datasets (students, staff, parents, community), school teams will dig into site-level differences, and staff said they will seek ways to improve communication such as a consolidated district calendar and clearer school-to-home messaging. Dr. Grant said administrators will take the results back to staff and examine targeted interventions to improve belonging, clarify bullying definitions, and boost family engagement.

The presentation led to questions about how to reach caregivers who lack social media or regular web access; board members suggested a district calendar or centralized place on the district website for school events. Dr. Grant and staff emphasized that the surveys provide a starting point and that schools would follow up with targeted actions. The board did not take a formal vote on the survey presentation; staff said additional discussion and planning will follow at school and district levels.