FR will stream events

FORT RECOVERY — High school games may soon be available to livestream.

Fort Recovery School Board learned Monday that the athletics department purchased camera systems last month for Barrenbrugge Athletic Park and Fort Site Fieldhouse through the National Federation of State High School Associations. They will allow athletics events to be live-streamed.

The cameras and installation cost $4,000, which was paid for in part by donations from Fort Recovery Radio and the K-12 Learning program.

The service will be available via a paid subscription, which will cost $10.99 per month or $69.99 per year, through NFHS. Part of that fee will go to Fort Recovery schools as part of a revenue-sharing agreement.

Fort Recovery athletics director Brent Niekamp explained that plans to purchase the camera system, which is already in use at fellow Midwest Athletic Conference schools Coldwater, Parkway and Versailles, have been in motion for a couple of years. The project was pushed forward because of expected restrictions to attendance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Details from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on both attendance restrictions and rules for contact sports are expected today.)

“That’s at least a little bit of how we’re going to get around maybe some of the social distancing requirements,” Fort Recovery High School principal Tony Stahl said.

Installation of the camera system is scheduled for late next week, though Niekamp said he’s not sure if they will be operational for the high school football team’s season opener Aug. 28.

School board members also approved distributing a pro-rated refund to freshmen and chaperones for the Washington, D.C., trip, which was rescheduled from April to October and canceled last week because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. There is no estimate yet on how much will be refunded, but touring company K & K Tours is working with vendors to obtain those funds, treasurer Deanna Knapke explained.

Stahl noted there will be additional information sent to students Wednesday about the insurance some students and chaperones bought for the trip beforehand. Knapke added those insurance claims are due Sept. 25.

The Washington, D.C., trip for eighth graders was also canceled.

Superintendent Larry Brown mentioned the maintenance staff is nearly finished with preparations for the school year. Water bottle refilling stations for students will be set up soon, as drinking fountains will not be in use. Staff will be using Dominator disinfectant spray throughout the day to sanitize surfaces along with Vital Oxide disinfecting machines on a regular basis.

School board members Anne Guggenbiller, Jake Knapke, Greg LeFevre, Don Wendel and Nick Wehrkamp also approved a change to health insurance benefits for part-time employees. Staff hired after Aug. 1, 2020 who work less than 30 hours a week will not receive medical, dental or vision insurance as they are not considered full-time.

In other business, school board members:

•Approved the following: Changes to temporary appropriations, including lowering the athletics budget by $14,000 and adding a coronavirus relief fund of $45,000; hiring Kelsey Westgerdes and Elaine Pax as substitutes for the upcoming year; high school boys and girls bowling as a tournament sport; hiring Elaine Pax as a preschool aid, Maria Barhorst as a middle school language arts teacher and Jeff Vaughn as assistant girls golf coach; a resolution to participate and authorize the Southwestern Ohio Educational Purchasing Council to advertise and receive bids on the board’s behalf, with Deanna Knapke noting Fort Recovery Schools received a $40,000 grant to contribute toward a new bus; and Brown as the district’s representative for the Mercer/Auglaize Benefit Trust

•Granted permission to Brown to hire substitute teachers at $90 per day as needed for the upcoming school year

•Accepted donations from the K-12 Licensing program ($110.75) and Fort Recovery Radio ($2,000) for the athletic department.