(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

With the first day of school nearing, many members of any school district–teachers, administrators, parents, students, and local law enforcement–are hoping that the school is safe enough for everyone on a daily basis.

The Blackhawk School District is no different, and those feelings were echoed at the August 11 school board meeting at the high school library. Superintendent Dr. Robert Postupac addressed the topic right at the front of the meeting; particularly addressing the police training sessions that had been held in the school district with trained experts earlier in the week, and the pros and cons being weighed in regards to a campus officer being hired.

“We won’t have one when school starts. We know that,” Postupac stated. “But we are using these people and their expertise and reports to continue the question of ‘How do we employ the right amount of personnel, and do we want a layered approach?'” Dr. Postupac acknowledged that there were several options in regard to school security and that the school district was continuing a thorough process: “Instead of just jumping in and saying ‘We’re gonna go this route or this route’ and not have a solution, we’re working with these experts.”

However, the rebuttal to the lack of hired safety at the start of the school year was strong and pointed; most notably, the police chiefs of the three major municipalities in the Blackhawk School District–Chippewa, Darlington, and Patterson Township–all addressed the urgency of having an officer on site as soon as possible.

“One’s better than none,” spoke Chippewa Police Chief Eric Hermick. “If we can get one officer in one of the buildings, it’s better than none…we really need to consider that. We’re doing everything as a department we can to help you out and keep these kids safe…but I’ll echo a comment I heard the other day from the other chiefs…if the kids aren’t safe in school, we don’t have to worry about air conditioners, football games, or anything else.”

Patterson Police Chief David Stanislawski went even further, calling out the school board members for not having attended the two-day school safety symposium held at CCBC, where the importance of the subject was addressed in great detail. Darlington Police Chief Greg Beighey echoed his two colleagues’ urgent messages, adding that the police are also parents of kids who attend these schools and their concern is intensified from that perspective.

Other notes from the August 11 meeting of the Blackhawk School Board:

• A 45-minute presentation by Mark Scheller of DRAWCollective presented the board with a budget proposal for a new air conditioning system in the school district.
• Ten new hires, four resignations and two substitutes were accepted by the school board for the 2022-23 school year.
• General Fund expenditures for the new school year were approved at a rate of $346,644.06.
• The Athletic Department had one resignation and three new hires approved, including the hiring of Joe Boyer as Assistant Athletic Director.

The next Blackhawk School Board meeting is scheduled for August 18 at 7:30 PM.