Canfield superintendent previews school year, outlines new SRO, AI detection pilot and facility work

Superintendent Noll told the Canfield Local School District Board of Education on Aug. 13 that the district will start the school year with staggered opening days for some grades, a new elementary school resource officer and several safety and facility upgrades.

The superintendent said kindergarten through fourth grade will have short orientation sessions on Monday and Tuesday with their teachers and that elementary students’ first full day is Wednesday; fifth-grade students will be split by last name for initial days, and the high school opens Monday the 18th. "The best way to deal with school safety is to make sure each kid is connected to something," Superintendent Noll said, describing the district's emphasis on extracurricular connections alongside physical security measures.

Noll described two complementary safety approaches. The district will continue traditional security "hardening"—measures to deter, detect and defend—while also investing in connection-based supports and programs. He announced that Stacy Carris will join the district as an elementary SRO following a retire­ment and said the city and township help finance SRO positions. "We're extremely grateful for the city and the township for their financial support," Noll said.

The district is also piloting an AI-linked camera system called "0 Eyes," Noll said. He described the system as one that flags brandished firearms in camera feeds and routes an image to a remote review hub; if reviewers determine a threat, they alert police and on-site administrators. "If a gun is seen, an alert goes out to a hub ... and if they don't like what they see within 3 to 5 seconds, they alert the PD," Noll said.

Facility work this summer included a phase 2 high school parking-lot project and roof repairs at the middle school. Noll said the district spent "over $550,000" on the parking-lot work and transferred $550,000 from the general fund to a permanent improvement fund to cover paving. He also noted the district repaired a choir-room leak and other small projects.

Athletics and booster fundraising were highlighted: Noll said the Canfield Athletic Booster Club president, Josh Colho, has largely funded a new scoreboard through donations and that Huntington Bank holds an outstanding installment payment for the board's portion. Ticket prices will not increase this season and residents age 62 and older may obtain a pass for home events, Noll said.

On other administrative items, Treasurer Patty reported the district’s ending general fund balance was approximately $13,100,000 for fiscal year 2024–25 after transfers, and that investment interest for the month was about $78,000. Patty said $4,000,000 was transferred to the 070 capital projects fund and the treasurer's report and year-end accounting were approved by the board.

Noll gave an update on the MSC chemical spill response and said the district and board have discussed fence options with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Mahoning County Health Department. "Long story short, we're going to move away from that," Noll said, reporting the district plans to install signage near the creek instead of a fence, pending Ohio EPA and city zoning approval.

The superintendent said a districtwide cell-phone expectation is in place for the coming year: phones are to be turned off during the school day and the rule will be K–12 and included in handbooks. Noll also noted several community events, including a PTA tailgate Sept. 5 and Champions Day for students with special abilities on Sept. 18.

The board did not take additional action on these items at the meeting; several were informational updates or projects already set in motion and were discussed during the superintendent's report.