Parents and community press Franklin BOE on cell service and emergency communications after custodian’s death

After public comment on the budget, Franklin Township residents told the Board of Education they are concerned about poor mobile phone coverage at Franklin High School and the impact on safety and school fundraising.

Parent and booster volunteer Matthew Zavatsky said the lack of reliable cell and mobile data at the high school compromises incident response, everyday transactions at school events and communications during emergencies. “I have been unable to stop thinking about Jeff's last minutes,” Zavatsky said, describing the March event when assistant head custodian Jeff Cook was found unconscious in the front office after a large school fundraiser. Zavatsky said volunteers tried to assist and that poor connectivity had previously impeded organizers' ability to use mobile payment services at school events.

Cherian Cook, the widow of Jeff Cook, told the board she had warned her husband about poor phone service and urged the district to fix it. “He was dead for over 10 hours before someone found him,” she said. “We have to improve the system.”

Speakers described concrete limitations — large building mass and interior construction that impede signals — and several failed or partial fixes. Zavatsky said booster groups bought a consumer mobile signal booster but it provided “minimal or no improvement” and was not installed in the anticipated location. He recommended the district explore options including enhanced Wi‑Fi, commercial-grade boosters or negotiating a cell-tower lease for antennae, noting other local projects had produced annual income for property owners.

In response, district officials expressed condolences and described existing communications protocols and interim options. The superintendent (presenter) said the district and local police use truncated/closed‑circuit radios that remain the primary emergency communications tool on campus and that those systems are preferred in emergencies when public networks can be congested. The superintendent also said the district’s technology team and facilities committee have discussed signal improvements and that the district plans to invest in greater bandwidth for the student network; that work will not automatically improve guest Wi‑Fi used at events, the superintendent cautioned.

Board members and staff acknowledged the seriousness of the safety questions and said they will continue investigating technical fixes. The board president offered to accept a proposal or resolution from community members and to keep the public informed of follow-up steps. The meeting record shows the board has considered limited prior attempts (a consumer booster in an events lobby) and will task the technology department and facilities staff to evaluate commercial solutions and next steps.

The public discussion connected operational concerns (payment processing for boosters and booster revenue at events) with safety questions about notification and emergency response. Board members said multiple communication modes are used in emergencies and that an institutional solution will take coordination across technology, facilities and township partners.

The board did not take a formal vote on a remedy at the meeting but committed to ongoing review and community updates.