KANSAS — HUDL was a main point of discussion during the Wednesday, May 10, Kansas Community Unit School District #3 Board of Education meeting.

The HUDL program takes sports games previously filmed and uploads them to a website where coaches can watch a game to study different plays a team may run and playing style to prepare for upcoming games. Coaches can also study the video to analyze their own team’s performance.

 Students have access to the program for creating highlight reels for recruiters when seeking scholarships.

Currently only the football team has the program. The issue before the Kansas school board was whether to extend HUDL to the volleyball, baseball and softball teams. The program costs $8,000 and includes a camera but Kansas school district will pay a $1,500 share as the cost is split between the three schools in the Tri-County sports cooperative. The program was approved to begin use with the next sports season.

Kansas received a Reading is Fundamental grant for $4,900 and spent $3,200 of the grant to get books from the non-profit Reading Is Fundamental program. This allows children to own their own books and other literacy tools. Each student between kindergarten and sixth grade will have approximately six books.  

The board deliberated on funding for having an athletic trainer present at sporting events, whether it be games or practices. The cost was originally covered by Horizon Health, which has moved away from total funding. Horizon Health will still pay for a trainer to make weekly visits during school hours and help with rehabilitation of injured players.

The Kansas board narrowed the package options to two choices. One choice involves an hourly fee, including travel time to and from home, for a trainer to attend practices and games. The sports teams will also need an athletic trainer to accompany them to away games. The second package is designed for a 40-hour work week.

No decision was made. The board asked the administration to determine the amount of time devoted weekly to practices and games. If the board goes with the 40-hour option but discovers there is more need, there is an 80-hour weekly version.   

The Kansas school district was approved for a free summer lunch program. Previous summer lunch programs operated under the auspices of the Douglas County Public Health Department, which has withdrawn support for the program in Edgar County.

District superintendent Cindy Spencer said the locally operated summer food program is less rigorous than past programs and offers two sandwich days and two hot meal days. She estimated the work will require no more than four hours per week of food preparation.

Students must register in advance for a meal to avoid waste and students, or their parents, are responsible for picking up the meals in the old gym at the school.

Spencer noted funding requires the program be open to any child. This extends to any child who is homeschooled, visiting town or families with children who are age three and under.

“Any kid can come, they do not have to be from this school district,” said Spencer.

Title 1 also requires the school to provide necessities to homeless and poverty-stricken families and $400 will be allocated to necessities such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap and shampoo. This money can also be used to provide articles of clothing to students in need during the school year.

The summer lunch program runs June 5 - July 27, with a break the week of June 19 and July 4.

The May 10 meeting was when the board reorganized following the results of the April 4 Consolidated Election. New board member John “JT” Clore was added to the board this session replacing Mark Eskew.  Britta Baker, Gabriel Boedecker, Katie Knoll and Gretchen Gough were reinstated as board members.

Clore is a senior at Kansas High School

“I experienced what the school board decided, and now I am excited to be a part of the decision making process,” said Clore.