By HOLLY GASKILL
Despite an ever-changing landscape of school security, Norwell Community Schools have remained “in line,” reported Anna Murphy, assistant superintendent.
Murphy reported to the district’s board Tuesday evening as the safety coordinator. Murphy, the district’s school resource officer, and three other district employees recently attended a two-day advanced safety training program in October.
By and large, Murphy found the information presented was well-aligned with the current protocol. The district requires all building visitors to check in with their driver’s license in the entryway, barring individuals with certain criminal records from entry. Additionally, administrators are trained in naloxone delivery and technology devices report the appearance of keywords, among other safety measures.
“(We) make sure that we do due diligence and not simply compliance, which is kind of a big deal,” Murphy said.
However, it also served as a reminder to refresh certain security aspects, like verifying those with key card access to school buildings. Murphy also saw some areas for possible improvement — namely, bus surveillance and school resource officers.
Superintendent Mike Springer advised new bus cameras would allow for live video feeds — as opposed to their current stored video footage — but the district would have to determine a central location for the data to be uploaded. Regarding additional SROs, Springer added, “That’s what we’ve been thinking about for a while as we’re anticipating some changes — how do we restructure things so we can do that? And, obviously, you saw a lot of schools have gone after the safety referendums and that sort of thing, (but) referendums, in general, for me, are a last resort. So, I think we can still do those things without going down that route.”
The board also discussed school during the solar eclipse expected in Wells County on April 8. The solar eclipse will reach totality just after 3 p.m., which poses an interesting dilemma with school dismal. Within NWCS, this falls after the middle and high schools’ release but before the elementary schools’.
Some schools have elected to have an e-learning day, like neighboring Southern Wells Community Schools, but Springer advised he wanted to avoid this. The board agreed, with board member Chad Kline even suggesting extending the school day. Several board members expressed a desire to make the eclipse a learning opportunity.
“You’re never supposed to stare at the sun, but what happens is you’re going to look at an eclipse, and it’s not good for your eyes,” Springer said. “But you’re not going to turn into a pillar of salt.”
A possible issue may be an influx of traffic for eclipse tourism, Kline noted. However, he added, “You don’t know until you know, and then sometimes it’s too late.” To this, board member Corey Krug suggested the school could allow excused absences should parents decide to pull their students from class.
No specific actions were taken at the time.
Dylan Markley of Weigand Construction also told the board construction continues to progress. “A lot has been taking place on the first floor,” Markley said. “Coming up in the next month, we’ll actually start doing some punch-list (items).”
Additionally, the board celebrated the recent accomplishments of the Norwell High School cheer team, which recently placed eighth at the state competition. The school has not had a competing team in 15 years, explained cheer head coach Breanna Clifton.
Also during the meeting, the board:
• Accepted the resignation of Lancaster Elementary School Speech Language Pathologist Jennifer Fruchte.
• Approved employment recommendations for Dave Myers as bus driver, Kyle Heckber as LES special education teacher, Casey Lenwell Norwell Middle School boys soccer coach and Halie Steffen as Norwell High School custodian. Timothy Bradburn was also approved as Ossian Elementary School head custodian.
• Accepted donations of $2,000 from Calvery Lutheran Church for student lunches and multiple copies of “The History of Wells County Schools 1837-2022” from James and Marcia Hotopp.
• Approved two trips to New Castle for basketball tournaments — boys varsity Dec. 26-27 and girls varsity Dec. 27-28.
holly@news-banner.com
