GROVEPORT, Ohio — After months of meetings and safety presentations, the Groveport Madison Board of Education unanimously approved a safety plan to implement district-wide.
The approval of the new plan comes after months of discussion surrounding the best way to keep students safe. The district has seen a number of incidents this school year, including major fights and students bringing guns to school.
The school board conducted surveys among parents and students, many of whom board members said responded in favor of more security staff members and putting metal detectors at entrances of the buildings.
The new plan adds four more social workers throughout the district and five more security staff members for the high school to help with weapon detection.
Additionally, the board wants to add two more school resource officers and put a school nurse in every building. Adding staff on top of other security measures, like metal detectors, is something the board has discussed at nearly every meeting leading up to this decision.
Board members say the staffing element of this new plan will cost a total of $1.7 million for the first year, some of which can be covered with grant money. They plan to take action on each staffing addition one contract at a time.