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Parents and staff urge Bath County board not to cut Crossroads vice principal position
Summary
Five public commenters — parents, a former special-education paraprofessional and a family-support specialist — told the Bath County Board of Education that removing the Crossroads vice principal would reduce support for special-needs students, increase staff stress and could harm student safety.
Multiple parents and former staff used the public comment period to urge the Bath County Board of Education not to eliminate the Crossroads vice principal position, arguing the role provides essential support for special-needs students and immediate response to emergencies.
"Most importantly, are you trying to permanently eliminate this position?" asked Laura Goodpaster, who pressed the board for enrollment and support-service numbers and criticized the district’s continuing of positions originally paid for with ESSER funds. She said cutting school-based support while central office positions remain protected sends a message to teachers that they are "all alone." (Laura Goodpaster spoke during the public comment period.)
Anna Gibbs, a Crossroads special-needs parent, said, "By taking away the position of the vice principal you're taking away from my child," and described the reliance her child has on the vice principal for managing behavior and safety.
Cori Miller, a former special-education paraprofessional, recounted multiple episodes in which the vice principal intervened to protect staff and students and said removing the role would remove a "crucial role away from our kids that they need." Chelsea Snyder, who identified herself as a family support specialist with Gateway Head Start and a parent, described the vice principal as central to emergency response and de-escalation and urged the board not to make the decision lightly.
Tonya Hamilton, a parent who said she works with special-needs programs (Campus Central Kentucky, Inc.), recounted an incident she said showed the importance of the vice principal, naming Phil Detweller as the administrator who intervened to prevent further injury to a staff member.
In response to questions about enrollment, the chair provided figures: High School 544 students; Middle School 389; Owensville Elementary 532; Crossroads 392. Several commenters asked where the board’s staffing numbers came from and requested alternative cost-saving measures rather than removing school-based supports.
The record shows these concerns were raised during public comment; no formal board decision on eliminating the vice principal position was recorded during this meeting.
