MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON — The Hutchinson USD 308 Board of Education heard updates Monday that included a Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson presentation spotlighting National Mentoring Month, a student-led push for naloxone access, and several district operations and safety items.
Aaliyah Gray, marketing and development coordinator for Boys & Girls Clubs of Hutchinson, thanked USD 308 for its partnership and highlighted programs serving local youth, including initiatives such as Passport to Manhood and Smart Girls. Gray introduced Gabriel Marcum as the organization’s 2026 Youth of the Year, noting the club serves roughly 2,000 youth countywide.
Marcum told the board the club has been a second home for him for more than six years and credited staff mentors and family support for helping him find his voice and passion for community service. Marcum said he advocated for Narcan (naloxone) availability at both the Shadduck Park and Avenue A club sites, calling it a “life-saving” tool that can reverse opioid overdoses. He also referenced a Kansas legislative proposal aimed at requiring fentanyl education in public schools and expanding naloxone access statewide.
Separately, district leaders discussed school safety and security, including building mapping work tied to city and law enforcement coordination and a potential grant-funded camera software program designed to detect firearms and rapidly alert school and police contacts.
In board action items, USD 308 approved a Skyward student information system migration, with work anticipated to begin around October 2026 and conclude in summer 2027. The proposal approved by the board totals $42,837.
The board also approved purchases related to facilities operations, including robotic mowers for athletic field maintenance and a playground package for the district’s 'Lil Hawks childcare center.
Administrators said that completion of the childcare center is expected in late February or early March with a possible opening later in March, pending licensing and final preparations.
The next meeting of the Board of Education is set for Monday, Feb. 9.