Read Bourbon County officials’ response to questions about high school teacher
The Herald-Leader asked Bourbon County officials how they responded to numerous parent, teacher and student complaints about Bourbon County High School teacher Eric Smart. Here is the district’s full response:
The Bourbon School District’s obligations regarding the safety and security of its students and staff are paramount. Each instance of perceived or actual threat brought to the administrators at school or central office is immediately investigated. To allege otherwise is patently incorrect. The District has a number of school resource officers who assist, when necessary. However, investigations may or may not generate a written record. Often, a school administrator may deal with the matter at the time and determine if any there is any validity to the alleged threat to either students or staff. Actual physical altercations are immediately dealt with by the school resource officer who may charge the student or staff with a criminal complaint. Any actual threats generated by recent Herald Leader articles as against our staff will be investigated.
The District in addition to the federal and state statutes protecting student identification, also carefully protect records that are not disclosed pursuant to exceptions to the Open Records statute, found at KRS 61.878 (1) a-m including but not limited to: ongoing investigations, matters regarding an invasion of privacy, preliminary drafts, notes, correspondence with private individuals, and public records or information the disclosure of which is prohibited or restricted or otherwise made confidential by enactment of the General Assembly. Public records protected by the attorney-client privilege are excludable from disclosure pursuant to both case law and attorney general opinions. As such, the District will not violate any of those parameters to satisfy the Herald Leader’s insistence otherwise.
Public records are defined by the Open Records statute and does not include verbal discussions among staff or attorney client privilege.
Public records that are subject to disclosure and with redactions were previously disclosed to the Herald Leader as regards Dr. Eric Smart who is a tenured teacher in the science department at Bourbon County High School. Generally, the District does not discuss personal matters with the public as a matter of policy.
