A new tool in the effort to improve safety and address bullying was announced at the August Mt. Gilead Exempted Village School Board meeting.

Mt. Gilead Schools students, parents, teachers and staff now have a new safety tip line to use as an anonymous way to report violence, bullying or any potential threats to school safety.

According to a press release issued by the district, the Ohio Safer Schools Tip Line, at 844-SaferOH, is sponsored by the Ohio Department of Education and the Ohio Department of Public Safety and is free to all Ohio school districts.

The new tip line for the Mount Gilead School District was in effect when students started the new school year Aug. 11.

District Superintendent Jeff Thompson stated, “We will be distributing information about the tip line on flyers, on posters in schools, on social media, on the district website, and with various other school communication documents such as the district communicator, which is mailed to area residents.”

The new tip line is available 24 hours a day to alert local law enforcement about potential crisis situations in school buildings.

Thompson said trained professionals at Ohio Homeland Security’s Threat Assessment and Prevention Unit answer all calls and texts to 844-SaferOH. Although the analysts at the TAP unit may ask for additional information, callers can remain anonymous or leave contact information for follow-up questions.

“I recall very distinctly board member Jeff Sweeney stating at a board meeting several months ago, ‘we can and should do all we can in the area of safety, and even then, it will never be enough.’ This is a step in the right direction,” stated Thompson.

In other business:

The following were approved for employment for the 2015-2016 school year: Melissa Chapin, Full time bus driver, Billie Ervin, Substitute Bus Driver, John Irwin, Full time bus driver, Jamie Kintz, Substitute Bus Driver, Rachel Taylor, Itinerant Preschool Teacher (8 hours per week) and Mike Wilson, Substitute Bus Driver.

The following supplemental contracts were approved for the 2015-2016 school year: Betsy Anderson, District Substitute Coordinator, Mike Barron, Winter Faculty Manager, and Gary Bartlett, Fall Faculty Manager.

The board approved the contract for Trevor Gummere, Treasurer, Mount Gilead Schools effective Aug. 1, 2015 through July 31, 2019.

The following resignations were accepted: Kay Hines, Secretary at the Tomorrow Center effective July 31, 2015 (Hines will continue to work as secretary at the Tomorrow Center however, not as Mt. Gilead Schools employee); Jamie Kintz, Full Time Bus Driver effective August 25, 2015; Mike Wilson, Full time Bus Driver effective August 4, 2015.

The board approved the service agreement between META Solutions and Mt. Gilead Exempted Village School Board of Education for tech and core services from July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2016 in the amount of $12,626.25.

The next Regular board meeting will be held Tuesday, September 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at the Board of Education Office.

Reach Donna Carver at 419-946-3010, ext. 1804 or on Twitter @MorrCoSentinel.

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By Donna Carver

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