SHAWNEE TOWNSHIP — Student safety was the dominant topic at the Shawnee School board meeting. It can prove to be a difficult task to maintain safety when the school buildings are between 50 and 96 years old.
The safety of students was the concern when the board discussed school volunteers. A policy was discussed that would require all volunteers to get a background check, paid for by the volunteer.
Jessica Begonia addressed the issue with the school board, sharing her concerns as well as the concerns of others. Begonia addressed the board, “With the newly instituted volunteer registration requirements, we are very concerned that the number of volunteers will dramatically decrease. Per communication from the superintendent’s office, our understanding is that all of these volunteers are required to complete the registration packet, pay anywhere from $24 for category 1 volunteers to $94 for category 2 volunteers with a pupil activity permit depending on their unsupervised interaction with students, and then get board approval for each individual seeking to act as a volunteer.”
A concern is that the new policy has not been widely shared in the community which may lead to events being rescheduled or canceled because of the lack of volunteers.
According to Begonia, Elida, Lima City, and Bath are school districts that she checked with that pay for volunteer background checks.
Without adequate volunteers, such events as book fairs, field days, daddy-daughter dances, mother-son game nights, holiday shopping, and field trips for students at Shawnee Maplewood and Shawnee Elmwood may be affected. More events may be affected at the middle and high schools.
The board decided to put the volunteer policy on hold so that more information can be garnered.
A new backpack rule will be instituted at the high school. Backpacks may be carried from home to school, but not within the building itself. According to an email sent to students, “Shawnee Local Schools are continually discussing safety measures to make our schools a safe environment for our students and staff. As such, starting this year at the high school, book bags will be allowed to be carried from home to school, however, must be kept in the locker for the entire school day.
“Book bags will not be allowed in the hallways or classrooms during the school day. All athletic gym bags must be placed in their specific locker room location immediately upon arrival when student-athletes enter school. Students are encouraged to plan ahead for this new building policy by familiarizing themselves with their locker location and combination, as well as their daily schedule and classroom locations, so that trips to their locker can be accommodated throughout the day.”
There are some questions about students’ ability to move from one end of the building to the other and stop at their lockers to get the necessary materials for classes. A student may not be able, within the time allotted between classes, to get from a class in one hallway to a locker in a different hallway and to a class in an entirely different part of the building. There are some who question whether the elimination of backpacks will have any effect on student safety. Other measures for students’ safety were discussed by Shawnee residents and teachers in attendance at the meeting.
The backpack policy is going to be on a trial basis. The administration understands that it might need to be tweaked as needs arise. It will begin the year as an experimental policy, subject to change.
Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409
