MINOCQUA – Additional security measures at Lakeland Union High School are on hold pending another application for a state school safety grant to cover those costs.
The school board split 5-4 as it turned down a motion to spend $51,000 to enact those added measures after board member Barry Seidel explained the state Department of Justice will award another round of grants to upgrade security measures at public and private schools. “We may want to hold off on this (expenditure) because we may get it all covered by grants,” Seidel said, adding that the state may not cover measures completed before the awarding of grants.
LUHS was passed over in two other applications for state school safety grants. In total, the state has earmarked $100 million for programs and infrastructure measures to keep students and staff safe. “One of the reasons we didn’t get into the first round is because we have a reasonably safe school,” Seidel said. “We’ve done a lot of those basic things that a lot of those other schools haven’t done. So if you want to compare us to other schools, I would say yes, the school is reasonably safe. “If we were talking about (getting) bulletproof glass . . . and we hadn’t done any safety measures, and if we didn’t have a functioning camera system, and if we didn’t have a functioning ID badge system, and a lot of those things I would say absolutely, 100 percent, don’t waste a minute, let’s get it done. But we have some pretty good measures. “Can I justify waiting for a month to see if there is any feasibility (for a grant)? Absolutely I can in my mind. Especially when we start to consider that we don’t have a balanced budget.”
Board president Ed Schaub however thought the board should approve the measures so they could be done before the start of the 2018-19 school year. The state grant dollars are divided into two categories. The first are the primary school safety grants focused on baseline improvements to schools, including door locks and improving school entryways. The second is advanced school safety grants, which are awarded to schools that have met minimum-security thresholds. Those requested new safety measures at LUHS include special window film that resists forced entry (but not bullets), concrete barriers in front of exterior doors, interior door devices that prevent forced entry, and additional cameras, the latter costing $18,000 and in some cases, would be replacements for outdated cameras. Administration will also ask the Lakeland Union High School District Foundation to help fund those additional safety measures.
In a related measure, the board approved its annual agreement with the town of Minocqua Police Department for a school resource officer. The school reimburses the town for the officer’s pay and benefits while the officer is at the high school during the school year.
Additionally, board member Jon Berg again reminded the board that he would like to see a hall monitor at other hours, in addition to classroom hours, including for evening programs. “I have had members from the public who come here six in the morning (for open swim) also ask that question, ‘Why isn’t there security at that time?’” Berg said. His request will be taken up at the August board meeting. Prior to the security measures discussion, Minocqua K-9 officer Matthew Tate introduced “Jennings,” the police dog that he handles. The dog demonstrated its drug sniffing capabilities in a controlled “drug find” in a classroom for school board members.
