September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month, a time for communities, organizations and schools to unite in support of mental health and wellbeing. Schools play a pivotal role in this mission. To explore suicide prevention efforts across Kentucky and discover tools to help others, visit the KDE’s Suicide Prevention and Awareness webpage.
Need immediate support? The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, launched in July 2022, is available 24/7 by call or text. It’s a free, confidential way to connect with trained counselors during moments of crisis or emotional distress.
Together, we can raise awareness, break down stigma, and ensure compassionate care is within reach for everyone. You can make a difference by sharing resources, using the hashtag #988Day, and encouraging open, honest conversations.
Previous content taken from Kentucky's Education Commissioner, Dr. Robbie Fletcher's "Commissioner's Weekly Message."
Visit this site for more suicide prevention tools:
https://links-2.govdelivery.com/CL0/https:%2F%2Fwww.education.ky.gov%2Fschool%2Fsdfs%2FDocuments%2FSuicide%2520Prevention%2520Month%2520-%25202025.pdf%3Futm_medium=email%26utm_source=govdelivery/1/010101994eaee8e0-7eabc8c1-ad0b-4ef8-9d60-fe0fd1976b5c-000000/2maRsF_0zYTb2TFFxAhkUNgVU4SN6g-zDIMYX3_WBKw=422
🇺🇸 September 17th is Constitution Day & Citizenship Day! Let’s celebrate our nation’s founding and reflect on the rights and responsibilities we share as citizens. 📜✨ #ConstitutionDay #CitizenshipDay #PaintsvilleTigers
We don't know what we'd do without our fabulous information technology duo!
Big shoutout to our 7th–9th Grade Guidance Counselor, Tiffany Burchett! 💙
Ms. Burchett attended the Kentucky School Counselor Conference last week and met keynote speaker Dr. Tommie Mabry. Once expelled multiple times as a student, Dr. Mabry turned his life around and became the first in his family to graduate high school. He is now a best-selling author and motivational speaker.
Ms. Burchett returned with great ideas to support our students in social-emotional growth, college and career readiness, and building resilience. 🐯
Ms. Burchett attended the Kentucky School Counselor Conference last week and met keynote speaker Dr. Tommie Mabry. Once expelled multiple times as a student, Dr. Mabry turned his life around and became the first in his family to graduate high school. He is now a best-selling author and motivational speaker.
Ms. Burchett returned with great ideas to support our students in social-emotional growth, college and career readiness, and building resilience. 🐯
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month ❤️
We are proud to honor our very own 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Alyssa Preece, an Acute Myeloid Leukemia survivor. Her strength and perseverance inspire us all!
As a community, we can support blood cancer survivors by:
🩸 Donating blood or joining the bone marrow registry
💙 Supporting organizations that fund research and patient support
🌟 Raising awareness and sharing survivors’ stories
Together, we can make a difference for survivors and their families. #BloodCancerAwareness #WeSupportSurvivors
We are proud to honor our very own 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Alyssa Preece, an Acute Myeloid Leukemia survivor. Her strength and perseverance inspire us all!
As a community, we can support blood cancer survivors by:
🩸 Donating blood or joining the bone marrow registry
💙 Supporting organizations that fund research and patient support
🌟 Raising awareness and sharing survivors’ stories
Together, we can make a difference for survivors and their families. #BloodCancerAwareness #WeSupportSurvivors
🌟 Congratulations to our very own Paintsville Elementary School Counselor, Ashley Adams, for being selected as one of this year’s Kentucky School Counselor Association Emerging Leaders! 🌟
This recognition highlights Ashley’s dedication to supporting our students and families, as well as her commitment to growing as a leader in the school counseling profession.
We are so proud of this achievement and can’t wait to see the impact she will continue to make for our students and community! 💙🐯💛
#TigerPride #KSCA #EmergingLeader
Paintsville Independent was honored to welcome back KDE Regional Innovation Specialist, Alexa Hardin, along with KDE Innovative Program Consultant, Robin Hyden, as they facilitated our final Community Partner Meeting to develop the Portrait of a Tiger! 🐅
We are so close to having a completed Portrait that will guide how our faculty designs lessons to prepare students for the real world. 🌎
During today’s session, we reviewed results from the community survey and applied them to our draft Portrait. Next up: designing the Portrait graphic and putting it into action!
We’d like to offer a very special thanks to Christy Terry and the Johnson County Public Library for allowing us to use their meeting space today! 📖💛
We are excited to see this vision come to life for our students and community. 💡📚
#PortraitOfATiger #PaintsvilleIndependent #FutureReady
📣 Attention Tiger Family! 🐯
Household Income Forms will be coming home with your student this week!
Did you know that even though all students in our district receive free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), there's still one important thing every family needs to do?
✅ It’s time to fill out the Annual Household Income Form (HIF)!
💡 Why is the HIF so important?
Even though meals are free for everyone, completing this form helps our schools—and your student—in BIG ways:
🍽️ Continued Free Meals – Keeps the CEP program going strong.
🏫 More School Funding – Helps us qualify for important programs and resources.
👨👩👧👦 Supports Youth & Family Resource Centers – These services directly benefit your child and our community.
📝 Free ACT & AP Exams + Bonus KEES Money – Students who qualify through the HIF can receive:
• Free ACT exams
• Free AP exam testing
• Extra KEES scholarship dollars toward college
📌 Bottom line: Filling out the HIF = More opportunities, more support, and more success for our students.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to make a BIG difference! 🐾💙
#TigerFamily #SupportOurSchools #HIFMatters #CEP #FreeMealsForAll #FreeACT #FreeAPExams #KEESMoney #StrongerTogether
Household Income Forms will be coming home with your student this week!
Did you know that even though all students in our district receive free breakfast and lunch through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), there's still one important thing every family needs to do?
✅ It’s time to fill out the Annual Household Income Form (HIF)!
💡 Why is the HIF so important?
Even though meals are free for everyone, completing this form helps our schools—and your student—in BIG ways:
🍽️ Continued Free Meals – Keeps the CEP program going strong.
🏫 More School Funding – Helps us qualify for important programs and resources.
👨👩👧👦 Supports Youth & Family Resource Centers – These services directly benefit your child and our community.
📝 Free ACT & AP Exams + Bonus KEES Money – Students who qualify through the HIF can receive:
• Free ACT exams
• Free AP exam testing
• Extra KEES scholarship dollars toward college
📌 Bottom line: Filling out the HIF = More opportunities, more support, and more success for our students.
Thank you for taking a few minutes to make a BIG difference! 🐾💙
#TigerFamily #SupportOurSchools #HIFMatters #CEP #FreeMealsForAll #FreeACT #FreeAPExams #KEESMoney #StrongerTogether
📚✨ September is National Literacy Month! ✨📚
At Paintsville Independent Schools, we believe literacy is the foundation for lifelong learning and success. This month, let’s celebrate the power of reading, writing, and storytelling together!
Here are some fun ways our community can join in:
📖 Read Together – Set aside time each day to read with your child or share a favorite book as a family.
✍️ Write It Out – Encourage students to keep a journal, write letters to friends, or even create short stories.
🎤 Share Stories – Have grandparents, parents, or community members tell their favorite childhood stories.
📚 Visit the Library – Take a trip to the Johnson County Public Library or your school library to explore new books.
🤝 Swap Books – Organize a family or neighborhood book swap to share great reads.
Let’s work together to inspire a love of literacy in every student and celebrate the joy of learning all month long! 💙🐯
#NationalLiteracyMonth #PaintsvilleTigers #ReadWriteGrow
At Paintsville Independent Schools, we believe literacy is the foundation for lifelong learning and success. This month, let’s celebrate the power of reading, writing, and storytelling together!
Here are some fun ways our community can join in:
📖 Read Together – Set aside time each day to read with your child or share a favorite book as a family.
✍️ Write It Out – Encourage students to keep a journal, write letters to friends, or even create short stories.
🎤 Share Stories – Have grandparents, parents, or community members tell their favorite childhood stories.
📚 Visit the Library – Take a trip to the Johnson County Public Library or your school library to explore new books.
🤝 Swap Books – Organize a family or neighborhood book swap to share great reads.
Let’s work together to inspire a love of literacy in every student and celebrate the joy of learning all month long! 💙🐯
#NationalLiteracyMonth #PaintsvilleTigers #ReadWriteGrow
🚨 2025 Safe Schools Week 🚨
The “Focus on School Safety” campaign begins today and runs through Friday! 🏫✨
This year’s theme highlights the importance of staying vigilant and taking proactive steps to keep our schools safe, secure, and nurturing for every student.
👉 We encourage all students, staff, and parents to celebrate school safety by taking the Focus on School Safety Pledge today!
Take the pledge here: https://kycss.org/safe-schools-week/safety-week-pledge/
Together, we can build a stronger, safer learning environment for everyone. 💙🐯
#SafeSchoolsWeek #FocusOnSchoolSafety #PaintsvilleTigers
The “Focus on School Safety” campaign begins today and runs through Friday! 🏫✨
This year’s theme highlights the importance of staying vigilant and taking proactive steps to keep our schools safe, secure, and nurturing for every student.
👉 We encourage all students, staff, and parents to celebrate school safety by taking the Focus on School Safety Pledge today!
Take the pledge here: https://kycss.org/safe-schools-week/safety-week-pledge/
Together, we can build a stronger, safer learning environment for everyone. 💙🐯
#SafeSchoolsWeek #FocusOnSchoolSafety #PaintsvilleTigers
📢 Reminder for Parents
There will be an early release on Wednesday, October 1 due to vendor setup on the streets around our school buildings. Please plan accordingly—thank you for your cooperation! 💙🐯
There will be an early release on Wednesday, October 1 due to vendor setup on the streets around our school buildings. Please plan accordingly—thank you for your cooperation! 💙🐯
🌟 Congratulations to Paintsville Elementary’s own, Ms. Caitlin Salyer! 🌟
We are thrilled to announce that Ms. Salyer has been selected as a participant in the Connected Arts Network (CAN), a national professional learning initiative for arts educators. Through this program, she will collaborate with teachers from across the country, engage in innovative training, and bring back fresh ideas and strategies to strengthen arts education for our students here at Paintsville Elementary.
We are so proud of Ms. Salyer and can’t wait to see the creativity and opportunities she will continue to inspire in our classrooms! 🎨🎶💙🐅
We are thrilled to announce that Ms. Salyer has been selected as a participant in the Connected Arts Network (CAN), a national professional learning initiative for arts educators. Through this program, she will collaborate with teachers from across the country, engage in innovative training, and bring back fresh ideas and strategies to strengthen arts education for our students here at Paintsville Elementary.
We are so proud of Ms. Salyer and can’t wait to see the creativity and opportunities she will continue to inspire in our classrooms! 🎨🎶💙🐅
Paintsville Elementary is excited to receive a check from Food City for the School Bucks Challenge! We owe a big thank you to the Food City K-VA-T company for providing opportunities like this to support our students. 💙🐅
It’s time to register your Food City ValuCard for the 2025–26 School Bucks Challenge to support Paintsville Elementary or Paintsville High School.
Use the link below to link your ValuCard to either school and help them earn cash rewards! You can no longer link your card to schools in-store; it must be done online.
Link: https://www.foodcity.com/schoolbucks/
It’s time to register your Food City ValuCard for the 2025–26 School Bucks Challenge to support Paintsville Elementary or Paintsville High School.
Use the link below to link your ValuCard to either school and help them earn cash rewards! You can no longer link your card to schools in-store; it must be done online.
Link: https://www.foodcity.com/schoolbucks/
We are pleased to welcome Ms. Kasey Tackett as our Districtwide Gifted and Talented Coordinator and Teacher. In this role, she will support the growth and enrichment of our gifted learners across all grade levels, ensuring they are challenged and inspired to reach their fullest potential.
Paintsville Independent Schools is pleased to welcome Nanci Crum as our new district and activity account bookkeeper!
Mrs. Crum is a proud 1995 alumna of Paintsville High School and we are excited to have her back on our team!
Mrs. Crum is a proud 1995 alumna of Paintsville High School and we are excited to have her back on our team!
Check out the PES and PHS lunch menus for September!
Paintsville Elementary principal Kristy Frazier and district instructional supervisor Nicki Caudill are proud participants in the Kentucky Numeracy Academy for Leaders. Today, they explored how using precise and consistent mathematics language in grades K–5 helps set students up for long-term success! #TheMathPact
Parents of gifted students are invited to attend "Chat and Chew: Supporting Advanced Learners Together" sponsored by Kentucky Association of Gifted Education (KAGE). It is a FREE, casual, and virtual lunchtime series for parents of gifted and advanced learners to connect. See the flyer for details and RSVP here: https://giftedwku.wufoo.com/forms/kage-chat-and-chew
Senate Bill 120 requires all Kentucky school districts post, in both English and Spanish, in a prominent location beginning with the 2025-26 school year information regarding child labor laws, including limited or prohibited occupations for minors as well as permitted working days and hours.
Senate Bill 73 requires Ky school districts to provide the following notification to parents and caregivers:
Senate Bill (SB) 73, related to sexual extortion, was recently passed by the legislature and requires Ky school districts to provide the following information about sexual extortion to help ensure that parents/guardians have the resources they need to support their student(s) and protect them from being victimized (KRS 531.125).
Sexual extortion, also known as sextortion, occurs when someone threatens another person – through violence, harm to reputation, or distribution of explicit material – with the intent to coerce them into unwanted actions. These actions may include engaging in sexual conduct, providing explicit content, providing money or valuables, or complying with demands against the victims’ will. These situations can cause significant emotional distress and place victims in dangerous situations. Many victims feel forced to comply because they fear the repercussions.
Below is the exact language in SB 73/KRS 531.125, followed by resources provided to support you and your student.
Sexual Extortion is defined as:
A person is guilty of sexual extortion when he or she communicates, through any means, a threat to:
(a) Injure the property or reputation of another person or commit violence against another person with the intent to coerce that person to:
Engage in sexual conduct; or
Produce, provide, or distribute any matter depicting that person engaging in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity; or
(b) Distribute any matter depicting another person engaged in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity with the intent to coerce that person to:
Engage in sexual conduct;
Produce, provide, or distribute any matter depicting that person engaging in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity;
Provide the payment of money, property, services, or any other thing of value to the perpetrator; or
Do any act or refrain from doing any act against his or her will.
Schools are required to display posters with resources to help young people report and seek support if they believe they or someone they know are victims of sextortion. One of the most effective ways to protect youth is by encouraging open communication with trusted adults.
Parents and guardians play a key role in keeping their student(s)safe by discussing healthy relationships and by respecting boundaries. Together, we can help ensure these children understand that sexual extortion is NEVER their fault, and that there is always someone out there to help them navigate these situations if they find that they have fallen victim to these predators.
Offenders often manipulate, groom, or trick young people into sharing images and scare them into submission. To support families, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) provides resources to help parents talk with their student(s) about these risks and take steps to remove harmful images from the internet.
What Parents Should Know About Sextortion: https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/netsmartz/downloadable/tipsheets/sextortion-what-parents-should-know.pdf
Even if an explicit image or video has been shared, there are ways to have it removed. Parents and guardians can help young people by using NCMEC’s Take It Down tool and reporting the content to the platform or app where it was posted. For more information, visit these resources:
Take It Down – Remove Explicit Images: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
Our district is committed to helping you keep your students safe from sexual extortion. Please do not hesitate to contact school or district staff with any questions or concerns related to this critical issue.
Senate Bill (SB) 73, related to sexual extortion, was recently passed by the legislature and requires Ky school districts to provide the following information about sexual extortion to help ensure that parents/guardians have the resources they need to support their student(s) and protect them from being victimized (KRS 531.125).
Sexual extortion, also known as sextortion, occurs when someone threatens another person – through violence, harm to reputation, or distribution of explicit material – with the intent to coerce them into unwanted actions. These actions may include engaging in sexual conduct, providing explicit content, providing money or valuables, or complying with demands against the victims’ will. These situations can cause significant emotional distress and place victims in dangerous situations. Many victims feel forced to comply because they fear the repercussions.
Below is the exact language in SB 73/KRS 531.125, followed by resources provided to support you and your student.
Sexual Extortion is defined as:
A person is guilty of sexual extortion when he or she communicates, through any means, a threat to:
(a) Injure the property or reputation of another person or commit violence against another person with the intent to coerce that person to:
Engage in sexual conduct; or
Produce, provide, or distribute any matter depicting that person engaging in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity; or
(b) Distribute any matter depicting another person engaged in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity with the intent to coerce that person to:
Engage in sexual conduct;
Produce, provide, or distribute any matter depicting that person engaging in sexual conduct or in a state of nudity or semi nudity;
Provide the payment of money, property, services, or any other thing of value to the perpetrator; or
Do any act or refrain from doing any act against his or her will.
Schools are required to display posters with resources to help young people report and seek support if they believe they or someone they know are victims of sextortion. One of the most effective ways to protect youth is by encouraging open communication with trusted adults.
Parents and guardians play a key role in keeping their student(s)safe by discussing healthy relationships and by respecting boundaries. Together, we can help ensure these children understand that sexual extortion is NEVER their fault, and that there is always someone out there to help them navigate these situations if they find that they have fallen victim to these predators.
Offenders often manipulate, groom, or trick young people into sharing images and scare them into submission. To support families, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) provides resources to help parents talk with their student(s) about these risks and take steps to remove harmful images from the internet.
What Parents Should Know About Sextortion: https://www.missingkids.org/content/dam/netsmartz/downloadable/tipsheets/sextortion-what-parents-should-know.pdf
Even if an explicit image or video has been shared, there are ways to have it removed. Parents and guardians can help young people by using NCMEC’s Take It Down tool and reporting the content to the platform or app where it was posted. For more information, visit these resources:
Take It Down – Remove Explicit Images: https://takeitdown.ncmec.org/
Our district is committed to helping you keep your students safe from sexual extortion. Please do not hesitate to contact school or district staff with any questions or concerns related to this critical issue.
