Parents flooded the building at Monday’s Board of Education meeting to offer public input about school safety and attend School Board Governance Training.
The meeting opened with comments from Sheriff Howard Sills and Chief of Police Howell Cardwell. Both law enforcement leaders confirmed that they have been working closely with the school district to ensure the safety of students and staff. They also praised the district’s relationship with the police and sheriff’s departments.
“I have worked better with this school district than any other district I have worked with,” said Sills.
After their short updates, eight parents came to the podium to address the board. Parents expressed displeasure with using social media to inform parents of safety issues. One parent even expressed that she did not use Facebook and only found out about the shooting threat because she happened to visit the primary school and speak to an officer on site.
She and all of the parents requested that the school contact them via phone or through an automated system that would notify everyone. Parents also requested better transparency on identifying the threat and how it is currently being handled in real-time.
Multiple parents and family members offered solutions to increase district security. The most commonly requested safety additions were metal detectors, school resource officers, and volunteer safety personnel.
Parent Taylor Dickens also proposed the idea of clear book bags.
“I love our teachers, our faculty, and our schools, but I don’t feel that we have the resources we need,” said Dickens. “I have faith in the school system and that you (the board of education) will make the right decision.”
Many parents also expressed displeasure with the current phone policy, which requires phones to be put away in a box during class.
Many speakers informed the board that their child would keep their phone no matter what and that they would rather the school discipline children for using the phone than take it away.
“When I couldn’t get a hold of my son, I was damn near terrified,” said a Putnam High School parent. “I was so shaken up that I couldn’t get a hold of him because his phone was locked up in a box inside the teacher’s desk.”
After public comments, many parents stayed to attend the School Governance Authority training. This training teaches the board and community to understand the ins and outs of the charter school system and how a school governance board may participate in decision-making.
Dr. Emily Lembeck, a former superintendent in Marietta, taught the training. In her presentation, she stated that the board will be preparing its application to request the renewal of Putnam County’s charter system on June 30, 2025. If approved, Putnam will remain a certified charter school system for another five years.
The meeting concluded with approving the 2024 National School Lunch Week resolution and personnel recommendations.