Centennial School Board approves SmartPass Pro for William Tennant High School after extended discussion

The Centennial School District board on April 8 approved purchase of the SmartPass Pro digital hall-pass system for William Tennant High School, a three-year contract the district says will address disruptive hallway behavior, bathroom vandalism and lost instructional time.

The vote followed a lengthy presentation by district administrators and discussion among board members, district security staff and a regional police representative. The board amended the agenda item to specify the Pro plan before voting; the motion passed with a majority vote and recorded abstentions.

Board members were shown district figures the administration said justify the system: administrators reported roughly $27,000 in bathroom-related repairs and roughly 500 labor hours for maintenance and disciplinary time over the past year. The district presented a three-year SmartPass cost of $28,430 (annualized at about $9,477), and the agenda motion set a conservative ceiling of "district cost not to exceed $30,000 for 3 years." Superintendent Dr. Dana Bennett said the district could initially cover the system using dollars freed by a vacant position, and the high school principal told the board the school would take ownership of ongoing costs after the initial period.

Dr. Benn…