USD 383 buys more security cameras for elementary schools

Board president Karla Hagemeister said she wanted the public to know how frequent security evaluations are in the district.

“This sort of continuous improvement happens on a regular basis,” Hagemeister said, “to make sure we’re keeping our campuses safe.”

The purchase of additional cameras and a backup server comes after previous board discussions regarding two security incidents in February. One incident Feb. 16 involved a 22-year-old man, Samuel Aaron Osenga, being arrested for criminal trespass after Osenga attempted to gain entry to Amanda Arnold Elementary, and made an unauthorized entry to Anthony Middle School, the same morning.

Another incident Feb. 17 involved vandalism and what officers determined was an illegitimate threat in the boy’s bathroom at Manhattan High School West Campus. District officials chose to lock down the school and cancel the afternoon pep rally because of a lack of information regarding the credibility of the threat. Riley County Police and district officials determined the threat was not credible, and students were dismissed with officers monitoring traffic.

Board members also voted to replace the digital marquee at Ogden Elementary. The current sign has been in use for more than 12 years, and the sign cover doesn’t lock in place, meaning members of the public are open to creating their own messages or taking the letters.

The board approved purchasing a new digital marquee from Golden Rule Signs of Shelbyville for $28,548. Golden Rule Signs provides a five-year warranty on parts, and the sign’s display can be changed through the company’s cloud service from anywhere in the world, as long as the user has internet access on their device. It also can be programmed to show information in multiple languages.

In other business, board members passed the consent agenda, which included a $35,000 cash donation from the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation’s Deihl Community Arts Fund for a mural project at Lee Elementary.

The money will be used to paint a mural that will be attached on the southern face of the Lee building, parallel to Anderson Avenue. Murals cannot be painted directly onto school building surfaces, per district rules, but the mural will be painted on a weatherproof surface that will be mounted to the school.

Lee Elementary students and staff chose artist Layne Stafford to paint the school’s mural. Stafford is a freelance muralist with more than 18 years of experience. Stafford also has painted a panda scene in Amanda Arnold Elementary to commemorate past school classes, as well as mustang mascot imagery throughout Rock Creek High School.