Pettisville Community,
I hope this message finds you well as the calendar has flipped to August, and we once again look forward to all of our Blackbirds returning to school!
Increased state aid for school safety measures has brought some cosmetic, structural, technological, and personnel changes to Pettisville Schools. You may have noticed the window decals that have been placed on district windows and doors. These serve to decrease, and, in many instances, eliminate, clear vision into the building, classrooms, and other high-traffic areas in the district. Additionally, over forty more floor locks have been installed, multiple security cameras have been purchased, external lighting is being evaluated, and a new electronic system to check-in and monitor who is in the building has been installed and implemented. Last school year, Governor DeWine allocated funds to Ohio school districts to be used to hire school resource officers, and Pettisville Schools, in partnership with the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, is pleased to have Deputy Steve Schlosser on campus every day beginning this school year. With his expertise, Deputy Schlosser will be instrumental in helping to assess district safety vulnerabilities, and will have an important role in the drafting and certification of the district safety plan. These are just a few of the school safety measures that have been implemented, with more to come.
As we evaluate the safety measures being implemented, and as the state continues to allocate funding to assist with such initiatives, it is imperative that we take a hard look at some of the district’s practices and procedures. And with any kind of introspection comes some things that we don’t necessarily want to change, but need to change for the safety of our students. One of these practices is our open lunch policy. Pettisville Schools is one of a handful of districts throughout the state that have continued to allow high school students to leave campus for lunch. Starting this school year, Pettisville Schools will no longer allow students to leave campus for lunch. This decision has not been an easy one, as I understand open lunch has been a Pettisville tradition. However, we unfortunately live in a society that is much different than when a lot of us grew up. This decision is not being made because our students did anything wrong, or because there was a student-related incident that led us to reevaluate the policy. I maintain that we have some of the best students in the state. Rather, the decision to close open lunches is one borne out of state school safety initiatives and from reevaluating our district safety plan. If we are truly making our district safer by making cosmetic, structural, technological, and personnel changes (student resource officer), we need to make sure we are doing them with the whole day in mind, with our lunches as part of the rule, not the exception. High school students will still be allowed to eat outside at picnic tables and in designated areas. In fact, we have recently purchased more picnic tables for students to enjoy the weather outside while they eat.
Thank you for your understanding and for your continued support! I am looking forward to a great school year!
Yours in education and community,
Josh Clark
Superintendent