Jackson County Public Schools

Congratulations to McKee Elementary for being recognized by the Kentucky Department of Education as one of eleven Spotlight Schools for excellence and innovation!

"These schools have demonstrated excellent leadership, effective teaching strategies and dedication to continuous improvement. As a Spotlight School, McKee will play a vital role in sharing their successful practices with other schools across Kentucky.."

To see the official press release visit https://www.kentuckyteacher.org/news/2025/07/kentucky-department-of-education-recognizes-11-schools-as-spotlight-schools-for-excellence-and-innovation/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLkpj1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnpuwjks_FAWcS7pOjiZL_YP7XMLaQFWEwjgjQmlmWBPzbLbRCRg77rjcdpB_aem_4JZ2mldBXOt5uDyhO8QteA

To see McKee's Spotlight page ,visit https://www.education.ky.gov/school/Documents/McKee%20Elementary_508.pdf

Free Toy Giveaway!

Want to give your 4-year-old a successful start to kindergarten? Partners for Rural Impact has partnered with Waterford Upstart to bring families Bright Start Explorers – a free program designed to prepare your little one for kindergarten! In this program, families will receive access to Waterford Upstart, an online learning platform. With Waterford Upstart, children will gain skills in reading, math, and science in just 15-30 minutes a day. For families that need a tablet and/or internet access, we will provide that free of charge. Families will also be supported by caring coaches who offer guidance and encouragement tailored to their child’s progress. Give your child the tools they need to shine in kindergarten at no cost to you! Learn more and register at waterford.org/upstart. Children who turn 4 by July 31, 2025, and will not be enrolled in kindergarten in fall 2025 are eligible.

Important Update for Students and Parents: How We'll Communicate at School! Get ready for an important change in how our school staff will connect with students! Starting June 27, 2025, a new state law called Senate Bill 181 (SB 181) will be in effect. We want to make sure everyone understands what this means for you. What is SB 181 All About? Simply put, SB 181 says that ALL communication between school staff (like teachers, coaches, and club advisors) and students must now happen through special platforms approved by the school district. This new law was created with your safety in mind. It's designed to protect students from any inappropriate or unsafe online conversations and ensures transparency and accountability when staff members connect with students outside of school. How Will This Affect You and Your Child? From June 27, 2025 onwards, you'll notice that school staff will only use official district tools to send messages. This includes everything from homework assignments and important reminders to encouraging notes and school updates. Here's the big change: Teachers and students will no longer be able to communicate using personal text messages, Facebook Messenger, X (Twitter), Instagram, or other similar apps. All school-related messages must go through approved channels. Our school district (JCPS) is working hard to set up a new, easy-to-use communication platform that meets all the requirements of SB 181. Until that new system is ready, the only approved ways for staff and students to communicate will be through: Your official school email account. Google Classroom. We will let all parents and students know as soon as our new district-wide communication platform is ready to go! We know this might feel like a big change, especially for students involved in after-school activities. We understand that new routines take a little getting used to! To help you out, we've attached a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to this message. Please take a look! If you have any questions after reading this, don't hesitate to reach out to Superintendent Renee Smith: renee.smith@jackson.kyschools.us or District Technology Coordinator Rhoonda Thompson: rhonda.thompsoon@jackson.kyschools.us Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we implement this important new law to keep our students safe! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bo7qYEODhZn7KnKTFvygS73xOmDI-cfW/view?usp=sharing

Tyner will be hosting a Summer Boost Camp for students in Kindergarten through 5th Grade. What is it? Summer Boost Camp is a unique blend of academics and hands-on fun that goes beyond the regular school experience. While it reinforces essential reading📚 and math ➕ skills, it also engages students in exciting STEM activities like robotics🤖, creative arts, and crafts🎨. We will also have several meaningful community service projects❤️️, and interactive sessions with guest speakers🎤 and visitors such as the Jackson County Public Library📗, EMS🚑, and Fire & Rescue🚒. This well-rounded approach allows children to learn in a more dynamic, playful environment, sparking curiosity🧠 and joy in ways that traditional school hours often don’t allow.🥳 📋How do I sign my child up? To secure a spot, please call Kim Cruse or Tammy Bingham @ 364-5105 or email kimberly.cruse@jackson.kyschools.us Fill out the SummerBoost application at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSch667riBf2Duos7-Im__Fb3FNhZjkNe9x3-Qx6L496dosbsQ/viewform?usp=dialog

Summer Feeding Program Begins Today!

Due to the threat of severe storms forecasted around normal dismissal time, we will be dismissing school today at noon. Stay safe, everyone!

Jackson County Public Schools is inviting parent feedback on the gifted and talented program. If you are the parent/guardian of a student who participates in the program, please complete the following survey. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdHIe2QfCo3wL-GJ_lWBIBtaZ9MZz5Pm9lBtQ4WXrSG4ke4ZA/viewform?usp=dialog

Assessment Schedule

2025-2026 School Calendar

Jackson County Public Schools Title I Program is seeking parent/guardian input about its schools and programs. Please take a minute to complete the survey for your child's school. If you have children at more than one school, please complete a survey for each school. The District values your opinion and feedback. If you have any questions about the survey, please contact the District's Title I Coordinator, Dr. Bradley Kerby, at brad.kerby@jackson.kyschools.us or 606-287-7181. The survey is available: http://bit.ly/3RS0mcr

These food trucks will be set up in the parking lot of JCBOE each day. I will be posting the flyer with the times.

On April 23rd, students from all Jackson County schools attended the State STLP Championship at Rupp Arena/Central Bank Center. Students showcased projects they have been working on throughout the year, received recognition for creative digital art products they produced, and participated in several live competitions during the day. Jackson County had several big winners this year! McKee Elementary--Best in Level 2 Group Project--STLP Art Night Tyner Elementary Joker Jackson--1st Place in State Digital Element Design Adelyn McQueen--1st Place Digital Illustration, 1st Place Digital Photography, 2nd Place Multimedia Mash Up Jackson County High School Laikyn Robinson--Top 20 for Digital Illustration Jaxon Turner & Zach Vickers--Top 23 for Cinemania Izzy DeLeon, Karly Cunagin & Gabi Anderson--Top 11 for Help Desk We are extremely proud of these accomplishments. For more information about State STLP, watch this video produced by the Ky Department of Education. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1G2Q1KRciN/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Jackson County LPC Meeting/Forum 2 The Jackson County School District’s Local Planning Committee will be holding a Public Meeting and Public Forum on Tuesday, April 22nd at 5:30 in the Jackson County Board of Education presentation room. Members of the public are welcome to attend and/or address the Local Planning Committee. Jackson County Board of Education 3331 HWY 421 North McKee KY 40447

There will be a 2 hour delay in Jackson County, Thursday, March 6, 2025.

FCCLA officers, Miley Witt and Hayden Turner met with Superintendent, Renee Smith to discuss the need of introducing Family and Consumer Sciences and the opportunities within FCCLA to our 7th & 8th graders. Mrs. Smith agreed that developing essential life skills at a younger age would help insure greater success in the future. Next steps are in place to get the ball rolling to see how we can offer these services to our students.

JCHS band members Ben Rader, Jaxon Turner, Cameron Combs, and Kaeleigh Kidwell were selected for the 2025 EKU High School Honors Band. Students participated in rehearsals and classes with EKU school of music faculty culminating in a final concert on Saturday, February 22nd at the EKU Center for the Arts.

There will be school in Jackson County, Monday, February 24, 2025. There will be changes to the following bus routes: Bus 202 - Elisha Branch Rd. will meet at HWY 421 Bus 215 - Happy Top Rd. will meet at HWY 2004 Bus 218 - Taylor Banks Rd. will meet at HWY 421 Bus 236 - Steel Lane will meet at HWY 421