Green Bay Area Public School District building. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Fox 11 WLUK)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Area Public School District’s school board has a lot to consider as it moves forward with addressing safety concerns, which were discussed at Monday’s meeting.
Metal detectors continue to be a popular suggestion.
“The thought of having metal detectors in a school is incomprehensible, yet here now, it immediately comes to mind as a possible option,” said Sara Lam, a parent in the school district.
However, much of the board wants to prioritize other solutions.
“I would say to some extent, I would defer, as I would prioritize other things. I want to see us get right and get going short-and long-term before this would supersede that,” said Board Trustee Alex Mineau.
The board still seemed to agree on a request for proposal that would allow them to get information from vendors and evaluate their options.
“I would hope that we go through at least an RFP process and get to a point where we have the data to evaluate yea or nay,” said Board President James Lyerly.
Another potential safety measure would be to further change the backpack policy. Students would be required to keep their backpack in a locker, instead of carrying it with them throughout the school day.
That, of course, presents challenges too. Right now, having a locker is optional.
“Most importantly, would every kid get a locker? And could it be flexible if all of their classes were on the second floor and their locker was on the first floor?” said Board Trustee Jeanette Knill.
Parents also pointed out safety concerns must be extended to school sponsored events.
“If a student is willing to bring a gun into the classroom, they could be just as likely to have beef with someone outside of the football game on Friday night,” said Christina Joski, a parent in the school district.
This is a discussion that will continue going forward, without very many concrete answers.
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