Aug 15, 2018 By Mark Soroka for The 3 min read

PERRYOPOLIS – Frazier School District is tightening security for several of its schools.

Dr. William Henderson III, superintendent of schools, said that procedural changes have been made to provide better protection for Frazier’s students, teachers and staff.

“After 9 a.m., visitors will have to go through one main entrance to get to the elementary and middle schools and they will be required to pass through a metal detector,” said Dr. Henderson. “One of our school police officers will handle the screenings. We are also continuing to look at a few other security enhancements leading up to the first day of school, such as removing some shrubs from the school grounds. In addition, we are bringing in a state trooper to give a presentation to staff.”

Also during this month’s meeting, two Frazier students asked the board to change its book bag policy. The students told the board they have a petition with signatures from 200 students who want permission to bring clear book bags to school. Last February, Frazier School District decided to ban book bags following several security incidents. School Board President Thomas Shetterly said the board will revisit the policy in the future.

In other business, the board:

n Accepted an agreement with Washington EAP Services to provide programs to benefit employees during the 2018-2019 school year at a cost of $2,580.

n Approved participation in the emergency substitute program coordinated by Intermediate Unit One for the 2018-2019 school year at a cost of $400.

n Approved a contract with Fayette EMS to provide coverage for the 2018 football season at a cost of $3,000 (no increase from previous year).

n Approved Cypher & Cypher’s proposal to provide auditing services for 2019, 2020 and 2021.

n Voted to have the administrative parking lot resealed and lined.

n Approved a five-year lease with Ford Business to upgrade 13 photocopiers at a cost of $4,438 per month.

n Voted not to raise ticket prices for all sporting events. Cost of admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students who do not attend the Frazier School District. There is no cost for Frazier students.

n Accepted a letter of resignation from Jeanine Harkins, middle school secretary.

n Hired Tonya Hazlebaker as elementary school secretary, Eric Wilkens as high school French teacher, Katie Victor as middle school math teacher and Jodie Madigan as pre-K teacher.

n Accepted a letter of resignation from Amanda Humbert, head cook, and voted to replace her with Christie Mansberry.

n Terminated an employee who failed to meet the Level 2 certification as required by the Department of Education for the position.