Shelby County State of Schools report

SHELBY Co., Ala. (WBRC) - Hoover, Pelham, Alabaster and Shelby County superintendents gathered to address the most pressing matters their school systems faced during the pandemic and now.

Teachers’ pay, school safety and mental health, are all challenges according to school leaders in Shelby County.

Each superintendent had three minutes to share information about their schools like graduation rates or scholarships during the Shelby County State of Schools report.

Dr. Lewis Brooks Shelby County superintendent said in regards to Shelby Cares, he thinks it’s very critical. Shelby Cares is described as, “A movement to create a culture of connecting, communicating and caring for one another.”

“We put this in place, we are in year 5 and it worked really well we work with great mental health therapists and again we work with the family,” Brooks said. “We don’t send a kid to mental health therapist without the family.”

School Safety was another big topic today, while Alabaster superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers was absent, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Amanda Wilbanks said they are the first school district in the state to install the crisis alert badge in all schools.

“The crisis alert badge allows us to respond quickly to any crisis and lockdown the schools as appropriate. We have added the halo vape censor to all of our bathrooms at the high school,” Wilbanks said. “That will alert us to any vaping, TCH or even loud aggressive noises in the bathrooms so that we can respond quickly and appropriately.”

When it came time to talk about teachers, Hoover Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler addressed the pay increase Hoover City Schools provides to make it a more attractive place to work.

All in all, each superintendent says their school system is working to be proactive to meet those challenges.

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