Student Well-Being & Movement Video

The Top Priority for This District’s First Female Athletic Director

By Yi-Jo Shen & Kaylee Domzalski — September 18, 2025 1:53

“A child’s life is not worth one practice or one competition.”

That’s what April Brooks tells her coaches. Brooks, the first female athletic director for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Ky., considers the safety of the students in her district to be her highest priority.

Keeping student-athletes safe in hot weather is a significant concern, to the point that Brooks jokes she’s nearly a meteorologist.

Here, she shares how she and her team work to ensure the safety of the student-athletes in their care.

Yi-Jo Shen is a contributing video producer for Education Week.
Kaylee Domzalski is a video producer for Education Week.

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