USD 410 board discusses ID policy for school safety

Written by Malinda Just Tuesday, 22 January 2013 14:36

The USD 410 school board discussed implementation of a new identification policy for the district’s emergency operations plan during its Jan. 14 regular meeting.

The new policy, once adopted, would require all district employees to wear a photo identification badge during the school day. Visitors to the elementary school, middle school and high school will be required to sign in at the school office and also wear an ID badge while on campus.

Superintendent Steve Nobel cited three reasons to implement the policy: (1) So district employees can internally identify each other; (2) For students to identify all district employees as “friendlies;” (3) In the event of an emergency, first responders can identify the “friendlies,” those who are supposed to be there.

Only on-duty employees, as determined by work agreements or master contracts, would be required to wear badges. Off-site events, coaches and supplemental positions—for example, time-clock personnel at sporting events—would not be required to wear identification.

Questions regarding the scope of the policy were raised by board president Eddie Weber and member Rod Koons.

“Is it not valuable to have our staff identified at a track meet at Haven?” Koons asked. “Or at a music festival at Bethany (College)?”

Nobel replied: “Certainly there could be value there. I think the spirit of the policy is to protect our kids when they are at school. To protect those kids as much as we can.”

It is easier to pull aside non-identified people in a controlled environment during the school day, when the majority of people wear badges, rather than at an event with hundreds of people without badges, Nobel said.

Koons said it would be valuable for the public to know who is giving instructions in the event of emergencies at extra-curricular events.

“It would be very easy for an administrator in charge of an event, like the Trojan Classic, to keep your identification on you,” Nobel said.

Koons said: “I would think that’s important.”

Nobel will clearly define “on-duty” and specify that event supervisors will wear badges for public identification before the board votes on adopting the policy at the next regular board meeting in February.

Other business

In other business, the board:

• recognized the retirements of Donna Dalke and Tim Isaac.

• heard the first annual report of the joint stadium operations committee for Joel H. Wiens Stadium. According to committee member Jerry Hinerman, the fiscal year 2013 operational budget is set at $73,000, and the district should come in under budget this year.

Due to the stadium needing a new well, the capital expenditures budget is currently $9,500 over budget for the year. The well was an unexpected cost, so the scheduled replacement of high jump mats may not be purchased this year. Hinerman said the committee is working to put money aside every year for expenditures.

In addition to Hinerman, Max Heinrichs, Hillsboro High School principal, serves on the committee for the district, along with Tabor College administrators Kirby Fadenrecht and Rusty Allen.

• heard that data from the Kansas Report Card are available for the district at the Kansas State Board of Education website: ksde.org.

• heard the board will be recognized during halftime of the boys’ basketball game Jan. 29.

• heard the judges sided in favor of the school districts involved in the lawsuit against the state for funding. The decision was immediately appealed by the opposition. The decision means nothing right now, Nobel said, but “could mean something down the road.”

• voted 7-0 to adopt the correct position numbers for a three-district board as recommended by the Marion County Clerk’s office.

• voted 7-0 to approve the resignation of kindergarten teacher Michelle Goldsby, effective at the end of the 2012-13 school year.

• voted 7-0 to extend Nobel’s contract through June 30, 2015.

• voted 7-0 to hire Karen Goossen as the new transportation and maintenance coordinator.

• voted 7-0 to increase pay for the mechanic position to $20 per hour.

• met in executive session for 30 minutes for personnel and five minutes for negotiations. No action was taken when the public session resumed.