(PHOTO BY JESSE DAVIS / THE VILLAGE REPORTER)
SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER … Swanton Police Department Officer Troy Stewart’s job description and hiring as the Swanton Local School District’s new school resource officer was approved by the Board of Education at its meeting Wednesday night.
By: Jesse Davis
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
jesse@thevillagereporter.com
The Swanton Local School District has work do to following the first of three Ohio School Safety Center Security and Vulnerability Assessments, which was completed at the high school.
According to Swanton High School Principal Anthony Menna, OHS representatives go through the buildings with a fine-tooth comb, pointing out some things they knew were issues and others they never would have thought of regarding to physical security as well as property management procedures.
“It was eye-opening today, to say the least,” Menna said. Among the issues that will be included in the high school’s assessment are several doors in need of repair, which Menna said “are going to fail.”
Once the school district receives each assessment, they have 18 months to correct any violations – such as the doors, at which point fines will be assessed at a rate of $1,000 per violation per day.
Menna said the assessments can be used in applications for grants in order to help cover the cost of the necessary work, but that the timeline is short and applicable grants are few and far between.
He said 90 percent of the grants out there right now are for non-public charter schools or churches and called their options “slim pickings.”
A two-day assessment of the facilities at Swanton Elementary School will likely take place the first week of December, with an assessment for the middle school following shortly after. The assessment reports are confidential.
SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER
The board approved a job description for and the hiring of new School Resource Officer Troy Stewart following several discussions with the Swanton Police Department.
Among Stewart’s responsibilities are to maintain a monthly activity report, attend after-school home functions such as sports as needed, patrol the parking lots before and after school hours, perform ongoing security checks of all school buildings, and to help establish emergency operation plans and school site plans for all events at all Swanton schools.
VETERANS DAY ASSEMBLY
Lake, board members, and others gave high praise to the recent Veterans Day assembly at Swanton High School, which included speakers Senior Master Sergeant Derek Kania and his wife, retired Master Sergeant Cathleen Kania.
Derek currently serves as operations superintendent of the 180th Security Forces Squadron and sits on the Swanton Village Council, while Cathleen currently operates CK Sweets Coffee & Bakeshop.
OTHER BUSINESS
The board approved a measure providing contracted school employees with a $50 incentive payment for completing biometric screening in 2024.
The board authorized an individual to administer any necessary medicine on the show choir’s Disney trip. The board approved a $16,165.13 transfer of funds for St. Richard’s Auxiliary.
The board approved $155,997.47 in appropriation modifications and $323,211.53 in estimated resource changes.
The board accepted donations of $1,600 for the elementary school book fair, $10,000 from the Margaret A. Elred Red Bard Fund for the music department, $418.94 from the Swanton Parents Club to the middle school for golden passes, $1,000 to football for meditation presentations from WorkWell, $250 from Cris Johnson Trucking to girls basketball, $100 for the baseball/softball complex, $250 from McDonald’s to athletics, $3,347.73 from the Swanton Local Schools Foundation for outstanding Chromebook insurance and repair for the middle school and high school, and $360 from Foertmeyer & Sons to football.
The public portion of the meeting ended with the board voting to go into executive session for the purpose of discussing compensation. No action was expected as a result.
The next regular meeting of the Swanton Local School District Board of Education is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 11 at 108 N. Main Street.
