Danny Federico
editor@riverbendnews.org
During its regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 16, the Lafayette County School Board recognized the district’s Students of the Month and heard its first bout of public input on potential changes to school start times.
The board kicked the evening off by recognizing the four Students of the Month. Each month, students are nominated by their teachers for their growth in the classroom, their exemplary character traits, and for embodying what it means to be a Hornet. Each Student of the Month received a notebook, a certificate of achievement and a card allowing them free entry into any of the district's sporting events.
Ja’Nylah Wyman (center) was selected as Lafayette Elementary School’s December Student of the Month for grades kindergarten through second.
Ja’Nylah Wyman was nominated by her teacher, Kim Fletcher, as Lafayette Elementary School’s (LES) Student of the Month for grades kindergarten through second.
“Ja’Nylah is precious,” Fletcher said. “She works so hard, and she’s respectful to everyone – her peers, adults. She’ll do anything for you, and every morning she greets me with a hug.”
Brenda Vences-Martinez was named LES’s Student of the Month for grades third through fifth. She was nominated by her teacher for being a hard worker and bringing her math grades up.
Taylor Pilkington (center) was selected as Lafayette High School’s December Student of the Month for the middle school grades.
Taylor Pilkington was nominated by Rebecca Norris as Lafayette High School’s (LHS) Student of the Month for the middle school grades.
“Taylor is bright and hard-working,” Norris wrote in her nomination. “She’s always willing to help others without giving them the answers.”
Ciara Yohn (center) was selected as Lafayette High School’s December Student of the Month.
Rounding out the recognitions was LHS’s Student of the Month, Ciara Yohn, who was nominated by Tim Hanson for “making good grades and good decisions.”
After a brief break, the board adopted the meeting agenda with one item being removed, and approved the minutes of the previous meeting. The board also approved a set of supplemental positions listed under the consent items.
Board members then moved into their regular action items, swiftly approving personnel recommendations and resignations. This was followed by the approval of a request from the Lafayette County Board of County Commissioners for the use of LHS’s gymnasium for the Youth League Basketball Program each Saturday. The agreement began Saturday, Jan. 10, and will continue through Saturday, March 14.
Next on the agenda was a discussion on an agreement with Centegix for a campus safety platform described as a wearable badge system that would help meet requirements under Alyssa’s Law. Superintendent Robert Edwards said the current system relies on employees downloading an app to personal devices, which can create issues when phones change or notifications fail to update properly.
Under the proposed Centegix system, staff would wear a badge on a lanyard. Edwards stated the district had been wanting to move to this new system for some time, but has been unable to do so due to it being unaffordable. However, Centegix is now on the Florida Department of Education’s approved vendor list for the Alyssa’s Law requirement.
Edwards stated the badge has a button that, pressed once, would be used for a routine request for assistance, whereas multiple presses would activate an “active assailant” alert, notifying law enforcement, school resource personnel and campus guardians, and triggering alerts on district computer systems.
Board members questioned contract terms, including how quickly the district could exit the agreement and potential fees if the district ended the contract within a certain timeframe. Attorney Leenette McMillan-Fredriksson said the agreement would allow termination with 30 days’ notice, but there could be an uninstall fee if the district ends the agreement before 24 months.
Following a bit more discussion, the board approved the item.
Board members then began discussing the Lafayette Education Association (LEA) and School-Related Personnel contracts. No contract was available for approval; however, Becky Sharpe, a representative of the LEA, took a moment to address the board about ongoing frustrations, particularly with proposed changes to retirement language.
Following her comments, the board opened the public hearing section of the meeting and approved several policy revisions, including: 3.21 regarding the recording of parent-staff meetings; 4.09 Option 1 regarding athletics; 5.031 regarding student out-of-zone transfers/choice; and 5.28 regarding school health services.
The board also received public input regarding a potential school start-time change required under state law, which sets minimum start times of 8 a.m. for middle school and 8:30 a.m. for high school. Superintendent Edwards explained the district meets the requirements at all levels except for the high school start time, which is approximately 20 minutes earlier than the state standard.
However, Edwards noted that the law allows for earlier start times if a district demonstrates a good-faith effort to meet those timelines but finds that financial constraints, unintended consequences, or public input make the shift impractical. Board members stated they had heard mixed opinions so far and expressed their desire to hear more feedback from parents and community members.
One parent spoke during the hearing and said that later start times would create significant challenges for families with long work commutes and multiple children in different grade levels. She stated moving the school start times would make their schedule “virtually impossible.”
Once the public hearing closed, the board reviewed the district’s internal accounts audit report for 2024-25. Board members then approved a trip request for the Future Business Leaders of America to visit Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for a one-day trip.
Before the meeting came to a close, the board heard public input from Michelle Patton, who spoke on behalf of students requesting the reinstatement of middle and high school field trips, including the former eighth-grade Washington, D.C., trip. Patton said several classmates joined her daughter in gathering approximately 196 signatures in two days and asked the board to reconsider district practices that have limited trips since COVID-19.
Patton argued that field trips provide academic and cultural benefits and said out-of-town experiences are especially meaningful in a county where many families face financial constraints. Board members thanked Patton for her comments and said the issue would be reviewed.
Following this, the meeting was adjourned.
The Lafayette County School Board met again on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Check out the Wednesday, Feb. 4, edition of the Riverbend News for full coverage of this meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Lafayette County School Board will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 6 p.m. in the School Board Administration Building, located at 363 N.W. Crawford St., in Mayo.