Sports on the agenda

USD 234 School Board members spent a majority of Monday night's meeting discussing middle and high school athletics.

Board members heard from Eric Baldonado, director of rehabilitation services at Mercy Health Center, and Fort Scott High School Activities Director Larry Fink regarding the implementation of an ImPACT Testing system at the high school level.

ImPACT Testing provides comprehensive testing for concussions through a thorough evaluation of functional brain activity and is already in place at Fort Scott Community College.

"I'm bringing this to you as something we would like to implement at the high school level," Baldonado said. "More importantly, I am bringing this to you as something to prevent high school injury that you don't have to pay for."

Board members approved the motion saying, "If it's not going to cost anything and save kids, why not?"

Some 300 student athletes will be subjected to ImPACT Testing. The exam would take 30 to 45 minutes, be based on what he or she can do and it will be free.

The Mercy Health Auxiliary provided $2,400 that Boldonado said would allow three to six years of ImPACT Testing for high school athletes.

On the subject of middle school athletics, board members heard a progress report outlining the finances and options for intramural and interscholastic sports.

Tom Davis, intramural director at Fort Scott Middle School and one of five members on the intramural sports committee formed since the January board meeting, said he did not want the panel to make any kind of decision on Monday night but just wanted to give a progress report on what the committee was discussing.

Recommendations ranged from cutting intramurals at the seventh and eighth-grade level and going interscholastic to keeping intramurals at the sixth and seventh-grade level and having just five sports in eighth grade become interscholastic.

No decision was made, but many options were outlined. Board members said they would like to see a definitive recommendation in March that would allow scheduling needs to be met.

"We need direction from administrators and committee members to know what is best for the student. We don't know," board member Justin Meeks said.

Other items discussed at Monday night's meeting included:

* Approval of fundraiser requests for student groups and the use of athletic/activity funds.

* The second semester enrollment count showed that total headcount is down 58 from this time one year ago, with the elementary schools taking the biggest hit.

"This is not good news," Superintendent Rick Werling said.

* Seven employees put in requests for retirement or early retirement, including Werling.

"We have some long-standing people in the district who sent in letters and we are going to miss them," Board President Janet Braun said.