The Press-Dispatch
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A-8 Local Wednesday, July 19, 2017 The Press-Dispatch MOOSE LODGE Dining Specials 5pm-8pm 115 Pike Ave., Petersburg OR ORDER FROM MENU FRIDAY 7-21-17 SATURDAY 7-22-17 Buffet with Salad Bar. Only $9.95. Taco Salad $5.00 or 10 oz. Smoked Pork Chop with two sides $7.50. Sandwiches, Fish and Steaks Open to the Public Coffee or Tea with special. School board: Should retired law enforcement be allowed to carry firearms on school premises? By Ed Cahill Two former state police troopers appeared before the Pike County School Corporation's Board of Trust- ees on Tuesday, July 11, to ask that officers who have retired or resigned from their law enforcement agency be allowed to carry firearms while on school property. Frank Coleman and Alan Wood- ford, both former Indiana State Police troopers, told the school board that al- lowing former law enforcement offi- cers "in good standing" to carry a fire- arm while on school property would enhance security, especially during athletic events. "One day I was looking around at a basketball game and a football game and I was shocked at how many previ- ous law enforcement there was there," Woodford said. "Unfortunately, the world we live in now, we all know how close – even here in the county – we could have possibly came to a disas- ter." Woodford noted that the state law prohibiting the possession of firearms on school property and school buses had recently been changed to exempt persons who have been authorized by a school board to legally possess a firearm in or on school property. "In the past, you couldn't have a gun on school property, period," Woodford said. "Now, you're allowed to have it in your vehicle, and locked, either in the trunk or in the glove compart- ment. So the state's really went one step further." Woodford suggested that the school board authorize former law enforce- ment officers who graduated from a law enforcement academy and remain in good standing to possess firearms on school property. "The point I want to make is there's really no difference between some- body that's retired and in good stand- ing, who's had the exact same training as someone that's there now doing it," Woodford said. "To me, you know, the more the merrier." Coleman agreed. "God forbid that a tragedy would happen, but if you've got somebody in plain clothes there that's trained with a firearm, it could save a lot of lives." Board president David Waltz asked Coleman and Woodford how the school board would know if a former law enforcement officer was in good standing. "Let's say they're retired or they're no longer in law enforcement," Waltz said. "Are they still in good stand- ing? Do they go through a rigor af- terwards to make sure they're still in good standing? " Coleman noted that he, as a retired state police trooper, possessed a na- tional carry permit. "So I can go anywhere in the United States and its possessions, anywhere, and carry a gun," Coleman said. "But every year I have to qualify ... with the state police and make sure I'm still a good shot. I do that every year and they issue a new permit every year to allow me to carry anywhere in the United States." Coleman said that the school board could require former law enforcement officers who want to carry their fire- arms on school property to provide certification that they had qualified with a handgun issued by the police agency from which they retired or re- signed. "You don't want somebody that hasn't shot it in 10 years and then, all of a sudden, he's in a situation," Cole- man said. "You really want somebody that's maintaining their accuracy." Board member Chris Satterfield said that he was in favor of allowing former law enforcement officers to carry firearms on school property. "I've always thought this is a great idea, just because, you know, how many sporting events have we been to that the county police have been called out on something? " Satter- field said. "Who's to say a call comes in sometime just to get them out of the building? I've thought that numer- ous times. That's the society we live in now. So I think it'd be fantastic." "It's really better for somebody to be in plain clothes, and not recogniz- able," Coleman said. "Because some- body that's going to commit harm, the officer is going to be a target, to put him down first, because they know he's the only one there that has a gun." Board vice-president Chris McKin- ney asked that the issue be placed on the school board's agenda during its August meeting "for further discus- sion and possible action." "That gives us a month to look at it, look into some things," McKinney said. "And we'll have an answer for you one way or another." "I understand there's two sides to this," Woodford said. "I'm not trying to cause any issues. But, God forbid, in the time one of us could run back to our vehicle and run all the way back, there could be several kids gone by then. I hope it never happens, but you just don't know anymore." In other business, the school board voted unanimously to accept a do- nation of $2,500 – on behalf of Pike County farmer Myron Krohn, from the Monsanto Fund to the Pike Coun- ty High School band program. "This is the second time that (Krohn) has received it and donated it to the band, so I want to thank him for that," said Pike County Superin- tendent of Schools Suzanne Blake. The school board also unanimously approved the purchase of a 2017 Chev- rolet/Collins special needs bus with a wheelchair lift for up to $ 61,019.06, which includes $1,937.06 for the pur- chase and installation of a camera sys- tem. In addition, the school board unan- imously approved an agreement for Jostens to provide its E-commerce platform and manufacturing pro- cesses to power Pike Central High School's online shop for individuals to customize and purchase school lo- go products. In return, the school will receive 12 percent on every purchase through the school store. "We did have several individuals use the online store on their own, but this would now provide an op- tion to have a resource for spirit wear while also earning some funds for the school," Blake said. Board member Steve Potter ques- tioned whether the agreement with Josten's would affect local business- es that also sold spirit wear. "It's not an exclusive agreement," Blake replied. "I just want to make absolutely cer- tain we're not doing anything that's going to hinder any local business in the county," Potter said. "It doesn't," Blake replied. The school board also approved two field trip requests – one allowing the Pike Central High School boys' soccer team to attend a soccer camp at Indi- ana Wesleyan University from Thurs- day, July 13 through Saturday, July 15; the other allowing the Pike Central High School marching band to travel to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., from March 25 -30, 2018. In addition, the following personnel matters were approved: RESIGNATIONS • Jessica Hadley as seventh grade math teacher, and boys' and girls' cross country coach at Pike Central Middle School. • Anna Nicole Collins as science teacher at Pike Central High School, effective June 30, 2017. • Wade Collins as sixth grade boys' basketball coach at Pike Central Mid- dle School. • Deborah Julian as treasurer at Pike Central High School. APPOINTMENTS • Andy Igel as assistant principal at Pike Central High School. • Joe Cummings as family-consum- er science and CTE teacher at Pike Central High School. • Chelsea Terry as seventh grade math teacher at Pike Central Middle School. • Mark Giesler as special educa- tion teacher at Pike Central Middle School. • Barbara Miley and Casey Mason as special education assistants at Pe- tersburg Elementary School. • Sally Blaize as a kindergarten teacher at Petersburg Elementary School to cover a maternity leave. • Winnie Foster as secretary/ECA at Petersburg Elementary School. • Jennifer Deffendoll and Priscilla Nelson as teaching assistants at Win- slow Elementary School. • Jennifer Turner as a cafete- ria worker at Winslow Elementary School. • Earl Meese as a custodian at Pe- tersburg Elementary School. • Mason Petty as eighth grade as- sistant football coach at Pike Central Middle School. • Kenny Schultz as seventh grade assistant football coach at Pike Cen- tral Middle School. gram? " Blake replied. "About $ 600,000." While board vice-presi- dent Chris McKinney agreed that a written meal charging policy was necessary, he ob- jected to serving an alter- native meal consisting of a cheese sandwich, fruit and milk to any student. "We have to have a charg- ing policy, and I'm complete- ly aware of that," McKinney said. "But I can't find any- where under the USDA's pol- icy where it mandates that we have to have an alterna- tive meal." "Everywhere I'm finding it, it says 'if applicable' or 'if you choose to have that'," McKinney added. "I can't find anywhere where it man- dates we have to have an al- ternative meal, if they're not paid." "That was a part of our caf- eteria review, that we have to have a plan for an alter- nate meal," Blake replied. "What's proposed meets the nutrition guidelines of a meal, with the cheese sand- wich, fruit and milk." Blake added that many schools that have already implemented meal charge policies have the alternative meal made into sack lunch- es and delivered to the stu- dent's classroom, so the stu- dent can then carry his/her meal to the cafeteria "as if you left your lunch at home." "So it's not something that's going to cause embar- rassment if they're in the lunch line," Blake said. "But they still have to eat it in front of other kids, right? " McKinney fired back. "Yes," Blake replied. However, Blake noted, while a meal charging policy approved by the school board in 2013 gave the school cor- poration the option of provid- ing an alternative meal once a student's unpaid balance reached $20 or more, no al- ternative meals were served during the time that the pol- icy was being enforced. "It always got paid," Blake said. "But who's paying for the cheese and the bread sand- wich? " McKinney asked. "It comes out of our com- modities," Blake replied. "Exactly," McKinney said. "We're still paying for a meal. I don't understand where we would ever feed a child a cheese sandwich. I don't agree with that at all." Blake said that she, for one, liked cheese sandwich- es. "So, to me, it's like having a cheese sandwich is not a forbidden thing," Blake add- ed. "I know for a fact that, at the Indiana Department of Corrections, or even our lo- cal jail, that if they have a cold meal at lunch, that they at least have meat," McKin- ney replied. "I'm just saying, our inmates ... are going to be eating lunch better than what our kids at the school will be eating." "Macaroni and cheese qualifies as an entree meal," Blake said. "I guess I'm say- ing, I understand what you're saying, the perception is that it has to have a meat in the meal. But there's many peo- ple who eat meatless meals." "But this may be the on- ly good meal that, that child gets all day," McKinney re- plied. McKinney added that if a student's lunch room bill is not being paid, that the school corporation should make every effort to collect the money from the student's parents and/or legal guard- ian. "In no way, shape or form should we ever go after the kids," McKinney said. "We can send a paper home say- ing we're going to take the parents to civil court." "We do," Blake replied. "In 2013, people were pay- ing because the threat of an alternative lunch was enough for parents to go ahead and pay and not allow it to get up to over $200 or $ 300. We backed off on pursuing the situation in small claims court because of some con- cerns that were going on here within the board." "So, basically, it was get- ting out of hand," Blake con- tinued. "I mean, we had well over $7,000 ... last year in un- collected lunch accounts. So what we're saying is, we put the limit back in. We contin- ue to make the notes home or calls home. We're not doing anything different from what we've already done except ..." "Except giving an alterna- tive meal," McKinney said. "If it gets to that point," Blake replied. McKinney subsequently questioned whether or not the school corporation had a choice in determining the make-up of the alternative meal. "If we're going to add in a meal like that, an alternative meal, we can still set what that meal is, correct? " McK- inney asked. "I think there were some guidelines, from what she de- scribed in the audit," Blake replied. "I'd have to go back and pull the audit paper out. I don't happen to have (it) here tonight." "If we have to adopt an al- ternative meal, there's no reason we couldn't say, if we don't know, our alterna- tive meal is the regular lunch tray," McKinney said. "I don't think that meets the guidelines," Blake re- plied. "But we don't know," McK- inney shot back. Board member Steve Pot- ter then asked Blake if the audit had stipulated what the alternative meal should be. "Or does it give you any options at all? " Potter asked. "Verbally, she talked about it," Blake said. "I'd have to go back and see if it's in the writ- ten response." "I'd like to see it, too," board president David Waltz said. "I mean, are we punish- ing the kids for the sins of the parents? I think if we're go- ing to short the kids food that we were going to supply any- way, we should be supplying that food." McKinney made a motion to table the second reading of the meal charging poli- cy "until we have a special board meeting." The mo- tion, which was seconded by Waltz, passed unanimously. The school board did, how- ever, vote unanimously to ap- prove the second reading of a policy regulating the par- ticipation of home-schooled students in extra-curricular activities in the Pike County School Corporation. One of the provisions in- cluded in the policy requires a home-schooled student to maintain at least full-time enrollment status in a Pike County School Corporation school in order to participate in extra-curricular sports ac- tivities or intramurals – as well as meet the eligibility requirements of the extra- curricular activity. PC MEALS Continued from page 1 Pregnant... or think you are? Call:1-877-257-1084 or Locally Call: 1-812-354-2814 • Free pregnancy testing • Free counseling and info. on pregnancy options. • Confi dential counseling for women & men who are suff ering from post-abortion syndrome. • Residential Care • Health and assistance referrals. • Training and education. • Assistance in getting baby and maternity clothes washpcc@sbcglobal.net www.washingtonpregnancycenter.com