VWCS Board of Education Meeting: August 28, 2024
VWCS Board of Education Meeting: August 28, 2024
Van Wert City Schools are secure in terms of safety and a new security measure will be added this fall. That was the message delivered by Assistant Superintendent Bob Priest during Wednesday night’s school board meeting.
Priest attended the Ohio Safe Schools Safety Summit last month and said the focus was on school shootings. After hearing reports, stories and more from other school districts, Priest said he’s confident the local school system is ahead of the curve.
Assistant Superintendent Bob Priest talks about safety and security in the Van Wert City Schools.
“Van Wert City Schools, Van Wert Police Department, the Van Wert County Sheriff’s Office and the Highway Patrol – the collaboration we have, the plans that we have in place, the procedures – when we look at those schools where shootings have taken place and how things were being conducted by law enforcement, by schools, we are leaps and bounds ahead of them,” Priest stated to the board. “I can’t imagine that planning, or lack of planning taking place here. I felt very proud of the collaboration we have with local law enforcement.”
Later in the meeting board member Greg Blackmore, who represents the board on the Safety Council, said another line of security is coming.
“We’ve started a partnership with Raptor Technologies for the purpose of providing a new visitor pass program,” he said. “Hopefully in the middle of October or the end of October, we should have it up and running. Anyone entering the school will be required to produce a driver’s license which will be scanned and if everything goes through correctly they’ll be issued a visitor badge and be allowed in.”
Blackmore also said more information will be released in the coming weeks.
Priest informed the board that the district has added a fifth shuttle route to help ease capacity for middle school and high school students. He also said bus timing was a little delayed for kindergarten students on their first day of school.
“Keep in mind when kindergarteners are getting on, everyone wants that picture taken so that did delay things a little bit,” he explained.
He added Wednesday was much better.
During his report, Superintendent Mark Bagley praised the staff for a successful start to the school year. He also said Phase II of renovation work at Eggerss Stadium should be complete by the next home football game, which is September 13 vs. Defiance.
The board accepted the resignation of middle school paraprofessional Elizabeth Saunier and approved Samantha Spangler as a middle school paraprofessional. Board members also approved a one-year leave of absence for third-grade teacher Brianna Pelfrey and hired Hanna Heitkamp as a long-term substitute teacher. Brooke Sinn was approved as a long-term substitute kindergarten teacher.
The board also approved dozens of supplemental contracts for roles ranging from RTI manager to various club advisors.
Other agenda items approved by the board included:
- Career Education Opportunity (CEO) program agreements with Crestview and Lincolnview.
- Contracts with Crestview, Lincolnview, and Parkway for students attending the Van Wert School at the Goedde.
- Student fees for the 2024-2025 school year.
- All bus routes and shuttle schedules for the current school year.
- The 2024-2025 athletic handbook.
- An agreement with Wood County Juvenile Detention Center-Juvenile Residental Center of Northwest Ohio for the current school year.
- A Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) agreement with First Federal Savings and Loan of Van Wert.
The next Van Wert City Schools Board of Education meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Wednesday, September 25, at the First Federal Lecture Hall at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center.