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During the May 2 meeting of the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board, the issue of keeping an athletic trainer was tabled after Natalie Barrios, who currently teaches the sports medicine curriculum at Winslow High School, submitted her resignation as the athletic trainer for the district. Her intention was to continue teaching the class but forfeit the position of trainer.
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The board did not accept the resignation with plans to discuss the matter further. Former athletic trainer Eric Leonard and parents of high school students expressed their concern over not having a trainer present on the field for high impact sports such as football, wrestling and support forces. Leonard added that in his opinion, it would be difficult to recruit a qualified candidate to take on athletic training exclusively because it is not a full-time position.
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Last week, the item was revisited with input from board members, the Winslow High School principal and Career and Technical Education (CTE) administrators. Penny Brimhall, the CTE Director said, “The sports medicine program is not required to be attached to the athletic trainer position for the program to be successful. Right now, I feel like we are headed in the right direction. Mrs. Barrios has met the challenge in front of her.”
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Brimhall explained that Barrios is meeting the standards for testing and skill sets being taught in the classroom. However, Barrios does not currently hold a certification in athletic training.
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Governing Board Vice President Joe Hartnett asked, “Without practical application of what they are learning in class, how are they going to apply those skills?”
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Brimhall answered, “The skills, honestly, can be done in the classroom. Anything that her standards require, can be simulated.”
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Winslow High School Principal Dr. Justin Hartman added, “In small communities, it is hard to get a trainer. A lot of these rural communities have a doctor, or emergency medical tech on the sidelines. The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) has an emergency plan for schools that don’t have trainers, which includes having an EMT or someone that performs those duties on site. We can use that plan. I have reached out to Action Medical Services and they are willing to provide an EMT and an ambulance for those high impact sporting events. We care about the safety of our students, we are just not able to have a trainer anymore. Our second and third year sports medicine students will be student trainers. They will handle managerial duties including taping for athletes.”
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In conclusion, the board took action to approve the resignation of Barrios in the capacity of athletic trainer and move forward without filling the position at this point.
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In other business, the governing board:
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* Approved the hiring of Jennifer Collazo as a second grade teacher; Carsen Ellis, sixth grade teacher; Deanna McKinney as the 504 coordinator for the district; Amanda Sander, second grade teacher; Julie Thomas, volleyball coach; and Katherine Turley, special education teacher.
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* Approved the rehiring of Elizabeth Grimes as a social studies teacher and Virginia Nichols as an academic coach.
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* Approved the resignation of Natalie Barrios, athletic trainer; Dominique Ives, third grade teacher; Stacey Jefferson, a sixth grade teacher; and Taylor Welson, third grade teacher.
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* Approved the termination of Rose Ferguson, bus driver.
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* Approved the following donations: $99 to Bonnie Brennan, $79 to Jefferson Elementary School and $80 to Washington Elementary School from Sonic Night; and $223 to Jefferson Elementary and $3 to Washington Elementary from Box Tops for Education.
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* Approved class size capacities for regular and special education programs in a routine annual procedure.
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* Approved the 2019-2020 intergovernmental agreement with the Northern Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology (NAVIT) in a routine annual procedure.
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* Approved the position description for a school social worker/counselor. This description outlines with parameters of the position.
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* Approved changes to the schedule of their summer meetings. Meetings will be held at 7 a.m. on June 6, June 20, July 11 and July 25.
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The next meeting of the Winslow Unified School District Governing Board will be held at 7 a.m. on June 6 in the district offices, located at 800 N. Apache Ave.
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