Board debates insurer's recommendation to limit public access to track and stadium during student use
Summary
An insurer-recommended safety measure to limit community use of the district track and stadium during school/student use prompted board discussion about enforcement, equity and community access; no policy change was made and the board agreed to continue monitoring.
Treasurer Missus Roberts summarized an Ohio School Plan risk-management walkthrough that produced seven recommendations to reduce liability exposure. One recommendation singled out public access to the campus track and stadium during school hours and suggested limiting community use when students are present.
"One of the items... around public access to our track and stadium during school hours," Missus Roberts said, summarizing the insurer's recommendation.
Board members discussed the insurer's suggestion at length. Several trustees said daytime public use is minimal and questioned how restrictions would be defined and enforced. Concerns included fairness (why single out the track when other campus points are open), practicality of policing an outdoor facility, and the value residents place on walking the campus.
"We typically know who's on this campus," a board member said, noting community members are generally recognized and that staff approach unfamiliar people. Another member asked whether the insurer's recommendation was primarily about injury risk or about limiting interactions between community members and students; Missus Roberts said the representative framed it as access to students rather than a pure injury concern.
The risk-management representative's recommendation was presented as guidance, not a mandate. Board members agreed to continue monitoring use and to report back; no policy or restriction was adopted during the meeting.
The discussion will inform any written response the district provides to Ohio School Plan when the district submits its action list for the inspection recommendations.
