[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6150554,"mediaKeyId","5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495","parentId",5507622,"title","District plans audio upgrades and campus fencing at Othello High School to improve events and safety","audioSeconds",943,"startMs",136000,"endMs",1079000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495&start=136&end=1079","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495/thumbnail_136000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6150554/Washington/District-plans-audio-upgrades-and-campus-fencing-at-Othello-High-School-to-improve-events-and-safety","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150554-fa0e113323a7a40880e2e0864065cf65/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994466&Signature=iw8GpFKhsPNS0gAXk2reTgTTgDKvbKoUVPzBHS8dux5taMJbkSQuofOchD1AvsJXzTo1-HXVHZoXa1k8xtiLyiMQSceX5mGU43DSouXYOrc-PWNps1iAsI~9vFVkiO4PtaMHpYFQ24tQjbfLKVfmV~Xk2HJKR9udp0HkUumpPkXTBtD8umgxYfG02D7jOONMj8ib3D00wVW7gkBSTfLjacvM2P8dJkOdiFqSeS2pBnbFWGLxjkfnEtkVx7T9V3J4Clth2xwRIbQ3nZQBJrleKrer~nCQu0gNODATbmyQ2Z91tCV-Jo6ziiZSp20XvsdJFOXYc~J9bYFAFI1yZ8AX-g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Othello School District, Washington","date","2025-07-29T08:57:31Z","article","District staff said they will replace aging audio equipment at the high school football stadium and update the gym audio system, and they described a separate plan to fence the Othello High School campus to support a closed-campus model for student safety.

Administrators told the board vendors evaluated stadium speakers and the mixing board, noting some equipment is about 30 years old. Staff said planned work includes audio processing and a new wireless microphone system for the football stadium, repositioning some speakers to audience level, and upgrades that will allow announcements to be heard in both the main and auxiliary gym simultaneously.

\"So that project is moving forward. We've got the funds to do it, and so we're gonna have dramatic improvements out there, ready for football season, we hope,\" the superintendent said.

On campus fencing, staff described a site walkthrough identifying a single continuous stretch of fence—between the current art building, the old tech building and the bus garage along Juniper Street—that would enclose the high school. Staff said the fence would allow the campus to be closed at the start of school and reopened at the end of the day; gates would be left open before and after school and secured during the day with staff-controlled gates similar to existing fire-lane gates.

Board members asked how student flow, bus pick-up and walk routes would be affected. Staff said school leaders are planning specific arrival and dismissal flows and will coordinate bus pickup locations; further operational details were being worked out by campus administrators.

Staff said the fencing and the audio upgrades are intended to improve safety and the school experience during events and daily operations. The district estimated the audio work would be completed in time for the football season and the fencing project could be done by the start of the school year, pending contractor scheduling and logistics.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular Board Meeting - 07.28.2025","oneSentenceSummary","Administrators outlined plans to replace aging stadium audio equipment, upgrade gym sound and to fence Othello High School campus to create a controlled (closed) campus, with work expected before the school year and football season.","taxTitle","Othello School District, School Districts, Washington","taxId",55334,"location","Washington","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6150558,"Othello district begins state-required facility study and survey ahead of future levy and bond planning",134,384000,518000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495&start=384&end=518","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495/thumbnail_384000.jpg","/articles/6150558/Washington/Othello-district-begins-state-required-facility-study-and-survey-ahead-of-future-levy-and-bond-planning","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150558-ec829443956d4514b451b83ba023c392/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994466&Signature=R9L-sZKkt6Twok1wcF4qK1pzz5sezNhsehdGMO7~gfiLoQpIjt7le1HNTElGhCGiu4la8oUtvRRP7lpFORSag3KUeDxppg55NUWkNP-3jrEVtN4h9ZaVuxfPrCemPKXBiE~jzValmO9BZaThAbRrzjZs8xaOj2DE5qaJJqLSar8moGB9dOWoLLieqXqwU5bqOmoiuJ-HhJdM219RtE6h4jJvJ6PBWyUkQDmszpHmL1xJJhppOq8LWvjFU0zN~1HpRfJHRlpHq9nHATaed~MSbJATzC59LF0XS1x0JtkZZIYdlhZxYPB7~LkbZozqfZBJwe9J17z2zLAA-PEugN4Irw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District facilities staff told the board they have begun the state-required study and survey (D-1) that starts the School Construction Assistance Program (SCAP) process, a multi-step review that includes a building-condition assessment, enrollment projections and a six-year facilities plan.

Greg Fultz, a district facilities staff member, told board members that the state created the asset prevention program (APP) and a building condition-assessment process in the 1990s to support how construction funds are tracked and allocated. He said the study and survey will hire an architect to verify building sizes and conditions and will help the district present accurate information to the state for SCAP eligibility and allocation.

Fultz said the state factors allocation by building age and other measures and that the district must verify entries in its inventory and condition-assessment system. \"We're verifying as a district what it says in there, and then the architect will also go back and double check us,\" he said.

Staff described the state-assistance figure the district would receive for eligible square footage as $375 per square foot in the current award round; district members noted typical construction bids are substantially higher than that. \"$375. Typical bids are open in almost double that,\" Fultz said, noting local bid prices are often much higher. He also said buildings must typically be more than 30 years since last remodel or construction to qualify under the current allocation rules.

Board members asked practical questions about warranties and retainage on construction work. Fultz said the typical warranty tied to acceptance or occupancy is one year and noted retainage commonly holds back about 10 percent of contract value until final acceptance.

The superintendent reminded the board that it previously decided to wait until February to run the district's next levy, and staff said the additional time will allow the district to gather the study-and-survey information needed to explain options to the community.

Staff said the study-and-survey work will require reviewing historic building records (some of which lack detailed documentation) and confirmed the process will lead into community-facing levy and bond planning.","District staff described starting a D-1 study and survey tied to the state's school construction assistance process, explained eligibility rules for state assistance and said the board will wait until February to run the next levy.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6150564,"Othello board approves wearable panic-badge system to meet Alyssa's Law requirements",1562,1278000,2840000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495&start=1278&end=2840","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5507622-804f9d76d4083f495a7c957cc39a3495/thumbnail_1278000.jpg","/articles/6150564/Washington/Othello-board-approves-wearable-panic-badge-system-to-meet-Alyssas-Law-requirements","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6150564-55914bf6a57989723383004cb5dfbc6a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770994466&Signature=G-e2gwInVA0FphzqXgsZwA8YzKxlb9L6CmzayBZl6G9v85svr1kDxQJ~yU~5RGdqqTo5pC~kVSoIID7LtNuITWn-5mE3VW1LlJK9Z0To75oL2IiNL6KY9xC6sArcTLsSKlKO4RBGc4IG0JyxDR4skyS4btSp1zx201TLPi9CArafMOMHITmRzPd8ErUadJy3tScOvYtnYXM3bCUZ5NaV5c-vsnCr~wrPK9FXWJjBIp94CXCe~K7IKXV-DUg9anC~uj2G1sHsR~Evh0rItZCJmNVjMx6HQJTRNUYyPkj4UGBc1t7rEryERbl2GvV5bO5Rbg7qO0yGWjCr6YwufFB5hA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Othello School District board approved a contract to install a wearable panic-badge system and related infrastructure at Othello High School and McFarland Middle School, district staff said at a board meeting. The purchase, presented by staff member Carlos Gonzales, was placed on the board's consent agenda and approved before the presentation.

Administrators said the system will deliver faster, targeted alerts and provide location information to administrators and first responders, adding a layer of emergency notification beyond radios and intercoms. \"When I think about safety, I think about the importance of time being of critical importance,\" Carlos Gonzales said during the presentation.

The system vendor identified in the presentation was Xponse, a provider of wearable panic badges and campus alert infrastructure. Gonzales told the board the district's proposed package would fully equip the two campuses'staff and some extracurricular coaches and includes installation, strobes and controllers, and training. He described two budget figures during the discussion: an initial figure of about $290,000 to equip the campuses and a larger figure of about $337,000 \"and then some\" to include replacements and additional components.

Gonzales said the system is scalable and can be expanded after the initial infrastructure is in place. He described configurable alerts (single press for a disturbance, a different press pattern for medical emergencies) and said the system can send texts, emails and law-enforcement notifications and can trigger visual strobes and lockdowns when configured to do so. \"It would initiate these alert protocols to go into immediate lockdown,\" he said.

Board members asked about ongoing costs and long-term licensing. Gonzales said the technology and offerings in the space evolve quickly and that the district would need to revisit upgrades and additional features in the future. He also said the purchase leverages a WSIPC procurement contract that provides discounted pricing and purchasing compliance.

District staff said installation could begin \"as early as this fall,\" pending vendor scheduling, and that staff training and integration would follow. The superintendent noted the system will help the district meet the state-level requirement commonly called Alyssa's Law, which requires a silent panic alert or instant notification system with campus-wide usability; Gonzales said the proposed system \"fully [complies] and exceeds the state expectations.\"

The board authorized district staff to proceed with the purchase as listed on the consent agenda; no roll-call vote or motion text was discussed during the presentation because the item had already been approved.

The district plans staff training and further vendor coordination before devices are issued to staff and used in drills. Gonzales and other staff said the district would monitor the system's performance and consider future expansions or feature additions as needed.","The board approved a contract to install a district-wide wearable panic-badge system at the middle and high schools, a step administrators say will speed emergency alerts, help comply with Washington's Alyssa's Law and add a new layer of campus safety.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

District plans audio upgrades and campus fencing at Othello High School to improve events and safety

Othello district begins state-required facility study and survey ahead of future levy and bond planning

Othello board approves wearable panic-badge system to meet Alyssa's Law requirements