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District proposes separate confidential safety operations team and broader public health advisory board
Summary
Administration recommended separating the confidential operational safety team (law enforcement/EMS) from a public school safety audit committee and consolidating mental health and school health advisory committees into a single School Health Advisory Board with broad community membership. Board members generally supported the changes and asked staff to codify committee structures in policy.
The school division presented recommendations to restructure several advisory committees that support school safety and health.
Director of Student Services Jason Garrettson told the board that the existing School Safety Audit Committee has functioned as a hybrid body, sometimes raising content not suited for a public forum. He recommended two distinct groups: (1) a superintendent‑level safety operations committee to meet quarterly with law enforcement and EMS for confidential operational planning and debriefs, and (2) a schoolboard‑level School Safety Audit Committee to review the publicly releasable audit results and make recommendations through the superintendent.
Garrettson also recommended consolidating the superintendent’s Mental Health Advisory Committee into the School Health Advisory Board (SHAB) to reduce duplication: the new SHAB would include parents, students, health professionals and district employees, and would advise on health services, mental health, health education and environment topics. Board members generally supported consolidation and suggested formalizing committee types, membership caps and reporting cycles in board policy so their roles and reporting lines are consistently clear.
Several board members noted the statutory basis for some committees and requested staff include code references in a future policy draft. Board members said they value the regular operational meetings with first responders for safety planning while also keeping a public forum to review safety audits and recommendations.
