PESHTIGO – The Peshtigo School District Board of Education met on Monday, Feb. 9, for their regular meeting, which was also their first meeting following a safety and security breach on Monday, Jan. 26.
The security breach occurred when a man entered the school during a community blood drive with a firearm and knives on his person. Following a student’s call to the police, the man — later identified as Trevor Salewsky — was taken into custody and had four felony and four misdemeanor counts filed against him.
This incident was the main topic of discussion at the meeting, with a Peshtigo School District parent coming forward to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting.
She read a letter she said was presented on behalf of a variety of parents within the school district and voiced her disappointment in how this situation was handled.
In her written letter she voiced her disappointment in how this event was handled, stating she expects a “better line of communication,” going forward, such as sending text messages to parents instead of emails. She also urged the board to consider additional safety measures and notify parents when public events will be held at the school.
After hearing this, superintendent Patrick Rau gave a presentation regarding safety protocols and procedures within the district.
Rau first walked parents and community members through the timeline of events on Jan. 26, where he explained that the man entered the building when an adult leaving the Hi-Q match held the door open for him. After a student called the police, the school was put into a hold while the man was removed. Rau discussed these events with high school principal Dave Moody and City of Peshtigo Police Chief Fred Popp.
In the days immediately following this, Rau collected feedback from educators, students and parents. Students and staff both requested additional training and better communication. Parents brought up possibilities for secure entrances, metal detectors, limiting community events and having a school resource officer.
Rau shared that as a part of the referendum project, the district plans to remodel the middle/high school entrance to include a “secure vestibule” entry, which would send visitors through the office for a security screening before entering into the school.
Plans for installing a similar entrance at the elementary school are also being discussed.
The possibility of installing metal detectors was brought up by many, but Rau explained that there would be a significant cost associated with installing the machine, hiring or training personnel and whether a metal detector would be needed at the elementary school as well.
According to a 2023 GovTech article, the Racine Unified School District paid an estimated $508,261.67 for scanners — plus additional materials, installation and training — over four years at their five school buildings.
Raud said that it would require careful thought and planning to limit community events that occur during the day, which includes events like Veteran’s Day breakfast, Junior Olympics and elementary school concerts.
Some actions that can be taken include increasing the usage of hall monitors, asking for parent volunteers and inquiring into police presence as available.
Discussing other options for police presence, the idea of a resource officer was brought up. Board member Tony O’Neill shared that there are tax levies that can be used to fund this, but additional research would have to be done.
Rau added that other local districts looked into adding a resource officer through the local police departments, but the costs “add up quickly” when considering yearly wages and the cost for a patrol vehicle.
While no permanent decisions were made regarding police presence or installing metal detectors, Rau confirmed that safety is their priority and steps towards improving communication are being taken.
Following this presentation, the board moved into personnel items.
The retirement of elementary school teacher Rhonda Madsen at the end of the school year was approved. The board congratulated her for a “fantastic career” and Madsen advised other educators to “never forget the human factor.”
They also approved the immediate resignation of Josh Seefeldt from the school board. To fill the seat, the board will be accepting applications from interested candidates before making an appointment. Those looking for additional information should directly contact the Peshtigo High School office.
In financial updates, the following donations were accepted:
The board also reviewed the transportation bids from Go Riteway Transportation Group, Kobussen Buses and Lamers Bus Lines. After reviewing the proposed contracts and pricing options for school routes and extracurricular activities, the board narrowed the choices down to Go Riteway and Kobussen.
Rau shared that the service the district has received from Kobussen has been good, but that he also heard positive feedback from other area superintendents regarding Go Riteway.
Ultimately, the board voted to select Go Riteway for the contract because of a projected $1 million in savings over the course of five years.
Larsen said that he did not expect there to be any retention issues with keeping the current bus drivers and added that Go Riteway will discuss options with individual drivers regarding preferences for keeping buses at their homes.
Finally, the board passed a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of $9 million in general obligation bonds, related to the middle and high school projects.
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