Kristin Hibbard, a moderate and severe disabilities educator at Meade County High School, was honored as the Council for Exceptional Children’s 2024 Kentucky Special Education Teacher of the Year, during the Kentucky Exceptional Children’s Conference this week in Louisville.
The award, which is open to any full-time special education teacher in the state, is a way to highlight the work of outstanding educators. Teachers may be nominated by students, parents, teaching peers, superintendents, directors of special education or anyone from the community interested in honoring an extraordinary educator.
During the ceremony, Hibbard received a $500 award from the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children, along with a scholarship to attend the Special Education Legislative Summit in Washington, D.C.
Hibbard graduated from the University of Louisville with her bachelor’s in psychology in 1997. In 2003, she received her master’s from Spalding University in learning and behavior disorders and attained her rank one in special education. Then, in 2007, she received a certification in moderate and severe disabilities from Western Kentucky University.
She started her career in education as a full-time substitute teacher for Jefferson County Public Schools in 2001. From 2002 to 2006, she worked at Meade County High School as a learning and behavior disorder and language arts educator. Hibbard has held her current position since 2006.
Over the years, Hibbard has received various awards and recognitions, including the Campbellsville Excellence in Teaching: High School Teacher of the Year in 2019, a nomination for Meade County Outstanding Woman of the Year in 2019 and Meade County Schools Special Education Teacher of the Year in 2023.
The Kentucky Department of Education’s (KDE’s) Office of Special Education and Early Learning (OSEEL) and the Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children are the sponsors of the Kentucky Special Education Teacher of the Year recognition.
(Photo: Kristin Hibbard (center) receiving the 2024 Kentucky Special Education Teacher of the Year award, courtesy of Kentucky Today)
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
