Fayette County Board of Education

October 27, 2022

As part of our commitment to providing timely, clear, and accurate information to students, staff, families, and community members, we are pleased to provide a recap of our monthly school board meetings.  

WELCOME and STUDENT PERFORMANCE

Board Chairman Tyler Murphy welcomed members of the public attending the meeting at the John D. Price Administration Building, located at 450 Park Place, as well as those watching the board meeting online.

Board Member Stephanie Aschmann Spires invited the audience to observe a moment of silence and led the pledge of allegiance prior to the reading of the FCPS mission statement "to create a collaborative community that ensures all students achieve at high levels and graduate prepared to excel in a global society."

Tonight's board meeting also featured a video performance by the student members of the Crawford Middle School Orchestra under the direction of Annette DiToma. The students performed "Gargoyles" by Doug Spata.

Watch the video here.

"Our students are from different backgrounds, speak different languages, and are different races or ethnicities, but they all come together each and every day to make music," said DiToma. "I could not be prouder of the accomplishments they have made these past three years in middle school."

SUPERINTENDENT'S REPORT

Under the Superintendent's Report, Superintendent Demetrus Liggins provided an update on the lockdown and student arrest at Henry Clay High School.

"We do not have any reason to believe the student intended to use the weapon and we have not found any credible evidence that threats were ever made against our students, staff, or campus. We are still investigating how the weapon got into the building," Liggins said.

Friday will be a regular school day at Henry Clay and in the rest of the district. A team of counselors from across FCPS will be on-site at Henry Clay to provide support for students as they process the incident.

"Today’s incident is a testament to the strength of the relationships we have built within Henry Clay High School and in our community. Most importantly, we have established a culture in our school where students and staff understand the importance of immediately reporting any safety concerns they may have. Those relationships allowed us to take swift action today that kept everyone safe."

Board Chair Tyler Murphy echoed Liggins' praise of the way staff at Henry Clay High School and the district responded to the incident. “As a classroom educator ... I can empathize with what happened today and with what our staff went through. We are grateful for all of the staff who placed student safety first and acted with compassion and care,” said Murphy. “I am proud of Team FCPS today.”

Also during the superintendent's report, FCPS High School Chief James McMillin, Director of Career & Technical Education Amanda Wickersham, and Career & Technical Education Instructional Specialist Rachel Kahly provided an update on efforts to ensure all students develop the attributes captured in the FCPS Portrait of a Graduate as they grow from preschool through high school.

The presentation included data from last year, information about how the state measures post-secondary readiness, and the expansion of opportunities for students to earn college credits and career certifications in addition to a high school diploma.

"We're looking at what are they learning from pre-K all the way to graduation and how is that helping them graduate post-secondary ready," McMillin said.

View the PowerPoint here.

FUTURE FACILITIES PROJECTS

Fayette County Board of Education members took action Thursday to approve the sale of bonds to finance the construction of a new middle school located at 2185 Polo Club Boulevard and to cover the cost of buying 36 acres at the intersection of Versailles Road and Mason Headley Road for future schools.

PUBLIC COMMENT

During the portion of the meeting for remarks by citizens, the following individual shared comments with the Board related to building and safety issues at Henry Clay High School:

• Donna Florence
• Barbara Smith
• Matt Stacy

BOARD ACTION

The board voted to:

• Transfer roughly donations received in honor of former John D. Price to the 16th District PTA in order to support scholarships awarded annually to Fayette County Public Schools seniors from each high school.
• Allow school-wide fundraising projects at several schools.
• Apply for reimbursement from FEMA for pandemic-related expenses before other federal aid was made available.
• Approve contracts with:
• TMF Travel for choral students from Southern and Beaumont middle schools to travel to New York City and perform at Carnegie Hall. Students at the schools are raising money to pay for the cost so that all students who want to attend will have that opportunity.
• ACT to allow all FCPS sophomores to take the test on the same day that juniors are assessed as part of the state accountability system. 
• Accept the Monthly Financial Report.

The official minutes from the October 27, 2022 action meeting will be posted within the agenda of the next meeting of the Fayette County Board of Education. 

WATCH A PREVIOUS MEETING

The school board's action meetings are televised live on the FCPS YouTube channel. Meetings are archived through the FCPS YouTube channel and Video on Demand service.

Fayette County Public Schools | www.fcps.net