St. C. Schools to Host Active-Fire Exercise Next Week | News, Sports, Jobs

ST. CLAIRSVILLE – The St. Clairsville-Richland City School District will once again host its annual countywide active shooter exercise.

The exercise is scheduled for November 16 in middle and high school.

At Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Walter Skaggs said district leaders will meet with local law enforcement and first responders on Thursday to discuss details for next week’s drill.

He said they had training over the summer with the St. Clairsville Police Department, which is “always there whenever we need it.”

“I just want to publicly thank them for everything they do for us,” he said, waving to Officer TJ Stewart, who attended Wednesday’s meeting.

After the meeting, Skaggs said the event helps prepare local agencies in the event an active shooter enters schools.

“We do this every year. … We bring agencies together, working in unison to solve any problems they may have. We are happy for them to use our facilities for this, as they can familiarize themselves with the layout of our building, and we welcome them to take any training they wish to take in our district,” he said.

Belmont County Sheriff’s Office, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Cumberland Trail Fire District, Barton Fire Department, Maynard Fire Department, and 911 Dispatch will participate in the event.

In other areas, the high school marching band received top marks in the state competition, which was held at Medina High School on Saturday.

“They’re one of five groups in the state for Class B to receive a perfect score, so basically it’s a perfect score from all five judges,” Skaggs said, adding that the students were well received when they returned from competition. “We want to make sure to congratulate them on their accomplishments.”

The Red Devils Marching Band recently made school history after winning the Grand Champion title in two competitions – Band-O-Rama in Marietta and another competition at Warren Local High School in Vincent , Ohio.

Additionally, Skaggs said the Belmont County Staying Clean Club sponsored an anti-drug motivational speaker for students in grades 7-12. He said the club is partnering with the city of St. Clairsville to pay for another speaker who will be scheduled in the “near future.”

Deputy Superintendent Christina Laudermilt said the district recently applied for a U.S. Rescue Plan homeless grant through the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center.

“They are partnering with all of the schools in Belmont County to bring these funds together, so hopefully we will know more in January if we receive these funds,” she says.

Laudermilt said the funds will help provide a homeless liaison that would cover all schools in the county.

The board unanimously approved the superintendent’s recommendations, which included hiring athletic workers and substitute teachers for the 2022-23 school year.

The board will then meet at 7 a.m. on December 14 at the school board office, located at 108 Woodrow Ave.