This is Dr. Lynn Plunkett, superintendent of Floyd County Schools, I want to take a moment to address the events of the past week at Model High School. I understand your concern. This has been a tragic disruption to Model High School, the Model community, the school system and to the families involved.
As I have stated in the media, Floyd County Schools takes allegations of this nature very seriously and anyone engaging in inappropriate behavior with a student will meet with very serious consequences. The well-being of our students is a top priority for me. Any employee who does not display the same commitment to our children will have no place in Floyd County Schools. I have been asked by some in the community what we have done to screen employees before they are hired. I understand that concern and I assure you that we take every step legally possible to screen prospective employees. As you know, we work with people, and human beings make mistakes that can’t always be anticipated or foreseen from screenings or the most thorough background checks. We will continue to use every avenue open to us to make sure we have the very best teachers and we do have some of the finest teachers in the state at Model High. We must not let the actions of a few cause us to lose site of the academic progress Model has made in recent years. Being awarded the Governor’s Cup for SAT success is just the recent in a line of fine accomplishments for the students and staff at Model.
I have prepared a letter with additional information that you should receive in the next few days. We can’t share information related to the cases currently under investigation by law enforcement because we do not want to impact the legal process as it moves forward. The letter you will receive will provide more information on how we select employees and how we seek to minimize the possibility of these situations happening again in our schools.
If you have questions or concerns you wish to share with me, I encourage you to give me a call or you may speak with your principal at Model High, Dr. Glenn White. I thank you for your support of your children, as well as the faculty and staff at Model High School.
