Safety in good shape at Cloverdale

Sonny Stoltz believes Cloverdale schools are in good shape when it comes to safety.

On Monday, the Cloverdale High School Principal approached the school board, updating it on safety issues within the corporation.

"We are proud that we've stepped it up a notch," Stoltz told the six board members at Monday's meeting. "The schools are safe. We at Cloverdale feel like we've done a pretty good job."

Stoltz informed the board that eight faculty members in the corporation are trained safety specialists, including all three building principals.

He said there are orange vests for all the specialists, and all are equipped with flashlights and identification badges if needed.

Stoltz also told the board members about the hand-held radio the corporation recently received. The radio was purchased for the school by the Putnam County Health Department, along with the Putnam County Sheriff's Department and the Putnam County Emergency Management Agency with money from the Department of Homeland Security.

Stoltz told the board Monday that all four county schools received a radio. They were purchased, he said, to make it easier for school officials to be in contact with area agencies if an emergency takes place.

"That's another responsibility itself," Stoltz said. "But we're excited about this because we're a step ahead of other schools."

Stoltz informed the board that the corporation has a disaster plan -- created by former Cloverdale Middle School teacher and current South Putnam High School Assistant Principal Dan Bain. Stoltz said the plan has been put on discs, which will be given to officials at the Sheriff's Dept. and Cloverdale Police Dept.

"They have it all and they're excited," Stoltz said.

Despite the recent improvements the corporation has made regarding the safety of students, Stoltz told the board Monday he believed the entrances to each school building needed to be examined more closely.

"There are doors propped open and we know it," he said.

Stoltz said he hoped to approach the board in the future regarding the possibility of purchasing a security system for building entrances.

"We're looking at the best options for our schools," he said. "It's one of those things we're going to explore. We're going to look at all of the angles."

While a security system won't stop all from entering any of the three corporation buildings, Stoltz and Cloverdale Police Chief Charlie Hallam both agreed it would be a deterrent.

"It's more of an improvement," Hallam said. "Today's current events dictates to schools they have to do this."

Still, Stoltz said the partnership between the local police department and the corporation has worked so far.

"We always have a quick response," he said. "We've made great strides to provide a safe environment for our kids."