Director reports two incidents under new law, says middle-school bond failed at city council
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Summary
The director of schools reported two incidents earlier this school year that triggered new reporting requirements, introduced a new SRO assignment and listed upcoming events, and said a previously approved district bond for the middle-school expansion did not pass city council and will be re-evaluated at the board retreat.
The Director of Schools updated the Lenoir City Board of Education on Jan. 15 about two developments: required incident reporting under recently enacted legislation and a setback on a middle-school bond the board had previously approved.
The institute report noted two incidents this school year met the new legislative threshold for notification to the board — one on Sept. 23 at the high school and one on Nov. 20 at the intermediate/middle school — and were referred to the district’s behavior threat-assessment team and, in the recorded accounts, involved law enforcement beyond the usual SRO response. The presenter said FERPA restricts public detail but confirmed the incidents were handled.
The director introduced Sergeant Samuels, who is overseeing SROs in Lenoir City, and named Giovanni Espinosa as a new SRO assigned to the middle school. The director also listed several upcoming school events: attendance awards on Jan. 22, parent-teacher conferences on Feb. 10, the school-board appreciation breakfast on Jan. 28, a spelling bee next Thursday evening, STEAM night on Feb. 26, and a college and career expo for high-school students. The district will host a reception for Charles Elmore, the newly hired executive director of the Loudoun County Education Foundation, at the high school cafeteria on Jan. 27.
On district capital planning and intergovernmental coordination, the director said the school board had approved a bond for a planned middle-school expansion in September but the item “did not pass city council.” The director described the outcome as disappointing and said the board and staff will return to the drawing board, using the Feb. 26 retreat to reassess options and next steps.
The director emphasized the district’s intent to move forward with planning despite the setback and thanked staff and community members who attended the city-council discussion. No new action was taken by the board at the Jan. 15 meeting on the bond; the board will revisit priorities and options at its retreat and during the budget process.