CCASD board appoints McKinney‑Vento liaison, approves threat assessment procedures

The Coconino County Accommodation School District Governing Board voted on Feb. 13 to appoint John Phelps as the district’s McKinney‑Vento Homeless Youth Liaison and approved the district’s Threat Assessment Procedures to align with the School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) grant. President Cheryl Mango‑Paget recorded the approvals during the meeting.

Dave Dirksen, the district’s Chief Education Officer, told the board that Arizona school districts are required to have a McKinney‑Vento liaison and that written procedures are needed to identify homeless students. John Phelps described the work required to document identification procedures and said the Arizona Department of Education is beginning to implement monitoring policies for homeless education services. President Mango‑Paget said the approved Threat Assessment Procedures “would assist with the SVPP grant” and publicly thanked the sheriff’s office for its assessment and recommendations. The board recorded the approvals without additional roll‑call votes noted in the minutes.

The board also approved a volunteer appointment: Dirksen recommended Lauri Carney, a retired college professor who provided a fingerprint clearance card, to serve as a math tutor at Ponderosa High School and potentially at Tse'Yaato' High School. President Mango‑Paget formally approved Carney’s volunteer appointment.

Next steps noted in the meeting included drafting written procedures for McKinney‑Vento identification and incorporating the Threat Assessment Procedures into grant application materials for SVPP funding.