Funded by a grant it had received earlier this year, the Norwalk-Ontario-Wilton School District’s safety projects, which include a new PA system and interior video surveillance system, are nearly complete, according to Superintendent Kelly Burhop.
N-O-W had received a $40,000 grant through the state Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety. Burhop submitted a grant for a second round of School Safety Grant funding, and the awards will be announced after Oct. 1.
To receive the grant money, the district must send its staff to training sessions focusing on subjects such as mental health, active shooters in school buildings, and threat assessment.
Other business
• This fall, the Brookwood drama department will present performances of two one-act plays, “Walk in Sleepy Hollow” and “Cheating Death,” from Nov. 2–4.
• The Community Learning Center afterschool program started this week, with 40 students participating.
• N-O-W’s recent Back-to-School Night had participation from 90 percent of the district families.
• Before the start of the season, La Crosse Sign replaced all of the football-field lights, but over a two-week span, half of them burnt out. Athletic director Ken Clinton had Laufenberg Electric attempt to determine the cause of the malfunctioning lights and to get them operational for this Friday’s homecoming game. Further work may need to be done next summer.
• Students will be dismissed at 12:45 p.m. rather than the usual 1:30 p.m. early-dismissal time on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
• The board accepted Title I Math Aide Mindy Waddell’s resignation and hired Morgan Yoder as a special education aide. Additionally, the board approved Lance Baldwin’s request to serve as a Title I Math Aide rather than as a Title I Reading Aide; Baldwin is pursuing a degree in math education.
• The Argyle School District recently donated flood-relief items, such as food, cleaning supplies and school supplies, to the N-O-W families whose properties were damaged in the late August flooding.