Lawrence school board to consider studying middle and high school athletic facilities

Monday’s meeting will be held at the Lawrence Public Schools district offices at 110 McDonald Drive.

The Lawrence school board may soon authorize a study of the district’s middle and high school athletic facilities to determine what types of repairs and improvements they will need in the future.

According to the agenda for its Monday meeting, the school board will review a general planning study of athletic facilities for the four middle schools and two high schools. The study would be conducted by architecture and design firms ACI Boland and VSR Design, according to the agenda, and could cost up to $48,000.

The agenda says the study would evaluate exterior building structures, gymnasiums, locker rooms, practice areas, turf and natural grass pitches and other facilities. It would also include an online survey to “engage designated personnel” in the review process.

The item appears on the board’s consent agenda, which is reserved for items considered routine and are adopted by the board in a single motion, unless a board member or the superintendent removes an item for a separate vote.

Several other items are also on the board of directors’ agenda for Monday, including:

• Approve additional funding for portable panic button systems at Broken Arrow Elementary School. Specifically, the total funding amount will increase from $12,500 to $25,000, half of which will come from a Kansas Safe and Secure Schools grant.

As the Journal-World reported, the district last year began testing the panic button service, provided by Centegix and allowing staff to quickly call for help in a variety of emergency and non-emergency situations. urgent. The agenda says the school board added Broken Arrow to the system in April, making it the seventh school in the district to receive the service. The $25,000 in funding will be enough to keep the system running for five years, the agenda states.

• Consider several changes to board policies that could be finally approved at an upcoming board meeting. Some of the changes relate to the nonresident registration policy, which is required by a statewide open enrollment law. The agenda states that the policy is being changed to “promote compliance with the statute changes in the 2024 legislative session.”

Among the district’s policy changes is one that addresses homeless students: “Any homeless child will be permitted to enroll and attend the home school district or the school district of residence without application and acceptance through this policy.”

The board will also meet in executive session during the meeting to discuss a contract negotiation matter.

The board will meet Monday at 6 p.m. at the district offices, 110 McDonald Drive. The meeting will also be available via the school district’s YouTube channel. Residents who would like to share their comments with the board can register in advance by emailing [email protected] by 6 p.m. Monday and can participate in person or via video/conference call Webex.