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Board hears safety report as employee injury rate rises; members ask for better tracking
Summary
Duluth Public Schools staff reported a March total-case injury rate of 3.36 with two recordable injuries and scheduled CRG walkthroughs; board members asked for more historical tracking while staff noted privacy limits and planned improved reporting.
Chair (S1) presented the district safety report on May 11 and said lead and water testing, three-year asbestos inspections, playground safety inspections and other trainings are underway or complete.
The report showed a March total case injury rate of 3.36, higher than the prior month, with two recordable injuries; the largest category of reported incidents was "injured by student," the chair said. Walkthroughs with critical response groups (CRG) were scheduled for mid-May to develop maps for first responders.
"We did some lead and water testing that has begun, and is scheduled to be completed before May," the chair said, and noted life-guard training and standard operating procedure reviews had been completed.
Board member Maxim asked who serves on the CRG and requested more comprehensive historical reporting of injuries to see trends. Staff (S5) said August and Todd McGowan are part of the team and that more detailed reports are possible but cautioned that some records include names and raise privacy concerns.
Superintendent Mayes (S3) linked rising student-related injury rates to growing special education needs and associated spending, saying the correlation reflects increased services prioritized for student safety.
The committee asked staff to provide clearer historical trend charts and explore report formats that balance transparency with personnel privacy. No formal policy decisions were made during the discussion; members requested follow-up reporting.
