LOUISVILLE, Ky. — School safety is a topic pretty high on the Jefferson County Public School Board's agenda Tuesday. 

Board members plan to address a proposal that would hire and assign safety administrators at each middle and high school. The proposal says those administrators would manage safety-related issues at the school, build relationships with students, and help with part of school safety procedures.

The proposal says the purpose of the safety admininstrators would be to foster positive school culture and climate and build relationships of trust with student and employees. 

The board also proposes adding school safety officers who would serve as an armed, sworn law enforcement officer with appropriate equipment and protect and maintain the safety of students and staff. The proposal says the school safety officers would be very similar to current district security monitors, but increasing the number of officers. They would patrol their assigned schools and be ready to respond to people who need help

The proposal states JCPS training for school safety officers and safety administrators, would be about 60 hours annually. There is a virtual town hall for input planned for Wednesday. Then, down the road, after approval, they would hire and start training. 

School board members are also getting an update on the district's fight against COVID-19. 

They call it "A New Way Forward." and the district says they commit to doing everything possible to ensure the health, safety and well-being of their students, staff and community. 

As far as ways the district is fighting the coronavirus, that includes a mask mandate inside buildings and on buses, weekly voluntary testing in schools and a vaccine or testing mandate for employees.

In terms of staffing, JCPS said on Jan. 6 alone, there were more than 1,000 teacher absences.