Greater Clark County School Board approves MOU with Safe Passage, year‑end transfers and schedule change; discusses Lifewise safety

The Greater Clark County School Board on Jan. 26, 2026, approved a memorandum of understanding with Safe Passage to provide classroom‑based abuse‑prevention and human‑trafficking education for students and staff, approved supplemental pay for a teacher who completed an assigned duty, accepted $3,306.64 in gifts to district buildings, and adopted four year‑end resolutions authorizing transfers and appropriation adjustments for 2025.

The board also approved an updated 2026 meeting schedule moving start times from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; one meeting date (June 22) was changed from Tuesday to Monday for scheduling reasons. The actions were taken during a regularly scheduled meeting called to order by the presiding officer.

Why it matters: The MOU with Safe Passage ensures the district maintains a state‑compliant, classroom‑based prevention program after its former provider stopped offering in‑class instruction. The financial resolutions are standard year‑end accounting steps that shift $1,000,000 into a rainy‑day reserve and $500,000 into the self‑insurance fund to align accounts for reporting to the Indiana Department of Education.

What the board voted on and approved
- Agenda and consent agenda: Approved by roll call.
- Gifts to buildings: Accepted donations totaling $3,306.64, including support directed to New Washington Middle/High School programs and classroom supplies (RW Marshall Foundation and others).
- Supplemental pay: Approved the payment as presented; staff said the information had been shared with Samantha Pierce, GCEA president.
- Conflict of interest disclosures: The board approved accepting members’ disclosure statements with the abstention of any member on their own statement as required under Indiana law.
- 2026 meeting schedule: Board approved changing start times from 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; June 22 meeting moved to Monday.
- MOU with Safe Passage: Approved to restore and maintain compliant, classroom‑based prevention programming and access to trauma‑informed support services for youth.
- Year‑end resolutions: Approved four resolutions collectively, including transfers of $1,000,000 to the rainy‑day fund and $500,000 to the self‑insurance fund, plus two appropriation adjustments for operations and the education fund.

Board discussion and next steps: During board comments a trustee raised questions about the Lifewise off‑campus program that some parents have discussed publicly, asking specifically about guardrails and student safety once students leave district property. District staff said they will present a policy for board approval that sets requirements such as background checks, verification of liability insurance from the provider, parental consent forms, and an explicit prohibition on using district resources (transportation, facilities, recruitment) to support the external provider. Staff said forms and additional controls are being developed and will return to the board in upcoming meetings.

The meeting adjourned following a unanimous voice/roll‑call vote.

Quotes from the record
"I move that we approve the agenda as presented," the presiding officer said when opening the meeting. "My concern is the safety of our students after they leave our building," a trustee said during board comments about Lifewise.

What remains unresolved: The board directed staff to return with a formal Lifewise policy and associated consent and vendor documentation; no final policy was adopted at this meeting.