B-H BOARD TALKS DEPUTY IN SCHOOL

    At Monday’s Britton-Hecla Board of Education meeting, representatives from the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office joined Superintendent Steve Benson to propose a new partnership that would bring local law enforcement into the school as Student Resource Deputies.
    Sergeant Austin Steiner, who has prior experience as a Student Resource Officer, outlined the benefits of the program. If approved, an officer would spend approximately five hours per week on campus under a contract with the county. Steiner highlighted the potential to reduce school-related crime and build stronger relationships with students. “You’ll see a decrease in crime in general, and we’ll have the opportunity to educate and engage with students in a more approachable way,” he said. Steiner also discussed potentially reviving the DARE program.
    The trial phase, set to begin next semester if approved, would be funded by the county. Future costs may have to be covered by the school if the program is extended with Steiner noting that grants may be available. 
    Benson emphasized that having an officer regularly on-site would strengthen collaboration with law enforcement and provide faster access to information that might otherwise require legal processes. He presented a draft contract for the board’s review, noting that a special meeting might be needed to finalize the agreement before school resumes after the winter break.
    A few members of the public spoke during the open forum portion of the meeting. Annette Koop asked the board to consider adopting a policy regarding what she views as “sexual content” being shown in the classroom. She was taking exception to a film being shown that had nudity. She noted a permission slip had been sent to parents regarding the film but still finds the content to not be acceptable. Koop ultimately asked for a policy disallowing such content or requiring teachers to edit out or fast forward such material. 
    Jeanne Ahlgren addressed the board regarding a petition she recently organized and submitted to the school. The petition expresses concern over the district’s use of Sora, an ebook platform, alleging it includes titles that are “offensive, pornographic, grooming, and sexually explicit.” Ahlgren criticized the current vetting process the service uses for the platform’s content and suggested the school consider alternative services, though she did not propose a specific replacement.
    Superintendent Benson revisited the issue during his report, explaining that he is collaborating with the district’s network administrator to address concerns raised in the petition. “I blocked all the books flagged in the petition until the vetting process is complete, but some on the list need reevaluation,” Benson said. He added that some books of concern aren’t pornographic or sexually explicit but address social issues or personal choices that might not align with everyone’s viewpoints.
    He acknowledged issues with the content filtering system and stated that efforts are underway to improve it.
    Benson emphasized his commitment to working with the petitioners to find common ground while maintaining that students have the right to access diverse materials.
    In other matters discussed in his report, Benson summarized various legislative and state matters they had discussed at his recent superintendent’s meeting last week. The relatively small state funding increase for education was mentioned as was the concern for the school voucher program that the governor is touting. 
    In policy matters, the board discussed and adopted various changes that had been brought forward from previous meetings. 
    Policy #2006, which outlines procedures for handling complaints, was amended to include the business manager in the process, ensuring consistency for complaints involving both the superintendent and the business manager. The board debated a provision on the timeline for resolving complaints. A proposed change to require resolution “without undue delay, not to exceed 180 calendar days” was ultimately adopted. Board member Audrey Schuller argued for a shorter 30-day timeline, citing practices in neighboring districts, but her motion did not receive a second. Board member Heather Landreth noted that the policy committee had been advised by counsel to not make the timeline shorter than 90 days. Schuller also proposed allowing the entire board, rather than just the board president, to address complaints involving the superintendent or business manager. This motion also failed for lack of support.
    Policy #5001 on compulsory attendance and excessive absenteeism saw a more extended discussion. Changes focused on adjusting the timing for sending letters to parents regarding absenteeism and clarifying when a student is deemed truant, set at 15 days. Schuller advocated for reducing the threshold for what constitutes truancy and ultimately voted against the policy changes, which were adopted by the majority.
    To see those changes and all the other policy business, visit britton.k12.sd.us/page/britton-hecla-school-board and click on “Policies Under Review” towards the bottom right of the page. The full meeting minutes that mention all policies under review will also be in an upcoming paper.   
    The board also welcomed Paisley Bray, who performed her award-winning poetry oral interpretation piece. The next board meeting is scheduled for Jan. 13.