Brown has his focus on flexibility

FORT RECOVERY — Flexibility and communication.

As schools begin to deal with an extended closure, those were the words that superintendent Larry Brown focused on Monday during his presentation to Fort Recovery School Board.

“I want to first thank the staff for their flexibility. I’ve never met anything like this in my career,” said Brown, who is in his first year at Fort Recovery but his 34th as an educator. He also complimented the district’s administration and management team. “There’s still things we’re working on, still things that have not been decided.”

With all schools in Ohio closed beginning today until at least April 3 as mandated by Gov. Mike DeWine, students took Chromebooks and other devices home with them at the conclusion of school Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday will be standard e-days — those already prepared for inclement weather or other closures — to be followed by “emergency remote learning” beginning Thursday. Though not all plans are finalized, teachers will use Google Classroom for those lessons, with some mixing in additional resources.

“It’s a plan in flux, right now,” said Brown. “There’s no set thing that we’re going to stick with. It’s going to be adjusted as needed, adjusted as directed. … We will strive to communicate the best we can.”

Fort Recovery Local Schools will also offer “to go” lunches to students who qualify for the free and reduced lunch program. They can be picked up between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays beginning Thursday in the preschool pick-up/drop-off lane at Fort Recovery Elementary/Middle School.



The district also released guidelines Monday regarding athletics, noting that no organized team events of any kind are allowed, on or off campus.

Coaches may share workouts/ideas with their athletes that can be done on their own.



The Village of Fort Recovery also reminded residents Monday that there are a couple of public Wi-Fi hotspots available to those who may need them to complete school work. One is at Community Park near the Cooper Brothers Pavilion and the other is in front of Fort Recovery Public Library, 113 N. Wayne St.

Board members Nick Wehrkamp, Greg LeFevre, Anne Guggenbiller, Jake Knapke and Don Wendel also approved a memorandum of understanding with Fort Recovery Education Association to modify policies regarding e-days. The change involves teachers being on site at schools during e-days today and Wednesday to help with the planning and preparation for the extended “emergency remote learning” that will begin Thursday.

In news not related to the coronavirus outbreak, Brown presented the board with proposed changes to busing policies.

The proposal calls for the addition of two new bus stops in the village. (Traditionally, the district has only bused students who live outside of the village limits.) Those stops would be in the area of the intersection of Butler and Fort Site streets and the intersection of Milligan and Wayne streets. Those sections of the village have high concentration of students and are also further away from school than most others.

“This is going to take care of the initial concern, which is crossing some major highways and trying to get them from having such a long walk to school,” said Brown.

Residents whose property has been annexed by the village over about the last 20 years would also be able to apply for busing.

Brown will present the plan to the school board for approval at its April 20 meeting.

Brown also reported that the district has applied for an Ohio Bureau of Workman’s Compensation grant in order to place protective film over windows at Fort Recovery High School. The firm will make the windows resistant to bullets and other attacks. If awarded, the grant would cover 75 percent of the cost of installation.

In other business, the board:

•Honored eighth grader Lucas Acheson, a state semifinalist in the National GeoBee, and band and choir members Isaac LeFevre, Ally Kaiser, Morgan Litmer, Caleb Evers, Caitlin Weigel, Dylan Langenkamp, Laura Hipple, Paige Bihn, Alyssa Heinrichs, Olivia Homan, Alli Vaughn, Chloe Sutton, Megan Knapke and Alayna Laux, who were involved in honors band, honors choir or the state solo and ensemble contest.



•Learned John Knapke and Ally Kaiser have been named valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively for the 2020 graduating class.

•Approved the following: an additional appropriation of $30,000 for purchased services through the rest of the fiscal year, which concludes June 30; Holly Gann as a van driver; continued open enrollment for Ohio residents; various revisions to district policy as recommended by NEOLA; a three-year contract with Jutte’s Landscaping for mowing and trimming; and a service agreement with Mercer County Educational Service Center for the 2020-21 school year.

•Accepted $600 in donations from Fort Recovery Academic Booser Club to the middle school activity fund.

•Set a work session to review the five-year financial forecast for 6 p.m. May 18. The regular meeting will follow at 6:30 p.m.

•Heard from high school principal Bill Overla that work is continuing on writing an alma mater for Fort Recovery High School. Students on the principal’s advisory committee came up with the lyrics, which have now been turned over to band director Reid Knuth to put those words to music.