First day of school in Iberia Parish: many questions for school board

The beginning of this school year brings many questions for the safety and education of every student. Newly appointed Iberia Parish School Board Superintendent, Heath Hulin, brings his insight on how to tackle the many issues schools may face this year.

IBERIA PARISH, La. (KLFY) - The beginning of this school year brings many questions for the safety and education of every student. Newly appointed Iberia Parish School Board Superintendent, Heath Hulin, brought his insight on how to tackle the many issues schools may face this year.

The most important issue all schools across America are dealing with is how to be prepared for any kind of mass casualty like we have seen in recent years. Superintendent Hulin said each school has emergency management teams in place with school crisis plans to make sure every student is safe.

Hulin said, "We have contracted with a national consultant who came in and helped review our plans to make sure we don't have any holes and that we have covered all our bases so if something happens in Iberia Parish that we would be prepared to react."

The lack of bus drivers and teachers has become a problem in nearby parishes. Hulin said his staff has been preparing for this all summer to make sure that is not an issue in Iberia Parish.

"There are districts out there that are facing hundreds of teachers short of having a full staff." Hulin said, "In Iberia Parish... we are pretty much fully staffed."

Hulin said his staff has been very proactive. "We hosted some training classes in the district. We have our pool of substitute bus drivers up to 12 people now ready to step in if we need we we can make sure the kids get to school."

Superintendent Hulin expresses that he's very excited for his first year in the position in Iberia Parish. "It has been a whirlwind. We have a great team of administrators and district office staff and teachers who made the transition very easy."