Politics

School Board elects Craven as chair, praises response to school shooting

The School Board re-elected Blair Craven as chair on Monday, Dec. 14.

By Gracie Milner, Special to the Lightning, Published: December 15, 2020

The Henderson County School Board re-elected Blair Craven as chair and elected Amy Lynn Holt as vice chair during a meeting Monday in which members also praised the response of teachers and parents after the shooting at Hendersonville Middle School on Nov. 24.

Craven was re-elected to a second term on the board on Nov. 3 when voters also put Kathy Revis, Robert Bridges and Stacey Caskey on the board. The board voted unamimously for Craven as chair. After Jay Egolf nominated Holt as vice chair, Caskey nominated Revis, who declined. The board then elected Holt as chair.

Board members thanked the school community for its support after a 13-year-old boy shot a 12-year-old classmate in the leg in the gym where students gather before homeroom. The girl recovered and is back in school now.

“Everybody came together and nobody felt unsafe, that I’ve heard from, about the particular incident," Craven said. "We will be looking further into what we can do as a board to make our students and families feel even safer.”

Holt said that she is “so proud of each officer and staff members who wrapped their arms around the children. It was interesting going by the school on the Monday after Thanksgiving and seeing people from across the community out there wanting to welcome these kids in and making sure they knew that their district leaders care about them.”