Ben Wilcox shapes role of Kentucky’s first state school security marshal amid COVID-19 pandemic

By Jim Gaines
Kentucky Teacher
Ben Wilcox laughs a little when asked how COVID-19 has changed his job as Kentucky’s state school security marshal.
He hadn’t been on the job long when the pandemic hit. The position of state school security marshal had only been created in March 2019. Wilcox formally started work July 1 of that year, but a month earlier he began traveling the state to share information...
Kentucky Safe Schools Week set for Oct. 18-24; healthy habits, involvement by all encouraged

Kentucky Safe Schools Week is set for Oct. 18–24. This year’s theme is “HEALTHY HABITS, Shield Our Schools!” (name of district) and the Kentucky Center for School Safety stands on the belief that everybody should enjoy school equally and be treated with respect.
Community members, educators, students and parents are encouraged to get involved during Kentucky Safe Schools Week.
During this...
School districts across state scrambling to deal with outbreak of threats; ‘There’s no textbook for this’

By Madelynn Coldiron
Special to KyForward
Burgin Independent, a tight-knit, single-building school district of just over 500 students, is an unlikely target for a threat.
So it surprised Superintendent Martha Collier when students reported a scrawled general threat in a boys restroom stall at the end of the school day, Oct. 21. What surprised her even more was when she learned that a couple of other...
Newly created task force ready to tackle bullying in schools; first meeting scheduled
The Kentucky Youth Bullying Prevention Task Force will hold its first meeting Oct. 22, beginning its work to study bullying in schools and recommend practices and policies to help foster safer, harassment-free school environments.
The meeting will be at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 22, in the Auditorium Room A-3 at the Kentucky State Office Building, 501 High St., in Frankfort.
“Bullying...
Seven Western Kentucky school districtstest online anti-bullying reporting system
A new site to report school bullying online – Safety Tipline, Online Prevention – was launched in November in a pilot program involving seven school districts in Western Kentucky.
The free email STOP service was created by the Kentucky Center for School Safety.
STOP is designed to “allow students, parents or community members to report any unsafe situation (bullying,...