Citrus School Board consensus: Yes to essential mentors and in-person traditional graduations

School Board Member Thomas Kennedy shares about bring back mentors during the January 12, 2021, Regular School Board Meeting.

During yesterday’s Citrus County School Board meeting, I shared that I felt it was needed to modify our COVID-19 protocols to begin again permitting essential mentors and volunteers (especially at the high school level) and who are ESSENTIAL to the success of our students to mentor students at school. These mentors and volunteers not only impact the students but often dramatically aid our guidance departments who are already challenged at this time. We have always depended on the help of these essential mentors and volunteers before COVID as part of our success model, we need their support more than ever. We have been successful with our COVID protocols and I am confident our administrators and staff can implement this safely and effectively. I am grateful that each of my fellow board members supported both of the issues. end of the school year. I feel that since we have successfully and safely had football games, basketball games, and other events that have had hundreds of large crowds, that we can safely plan and accomplish having in-person traditional graduations. The Class of 2021 seniors have now lived through so much and we can make this happen for them. With about 4-1/2 months to plan we can do this.

I am grateful that each of the my fellow board members supported both of the issues.

Click on link to read the Citrus County Chronicle story, ‘School board supports hosting in-person graduation ceremonies, return of school volunteers‘.