Leetonia schools eying military honor | News, Sports, Jobs

LEETONIA — The Leetonia school district could earn recognition for its efforts to support military families.

The school board this week granted permission for Kerri Ackler, K-6 counselor, to pursue designation as a Purple Star School, a recognition provided by the Ohio Department of Education honoring public schools supporting unique education and emotional needs of military family children. Ackler said the designation honors districts that principally assist with the transition of children in military families into the district.

Ackler said to become a Purple Star School, districts must provide a resource link on the school website, establish a liaison in the district that will require professional development (for which she volunteered), demonstrate an ongoing commitment to support military families by identifying students in military families and host military recognition events. She said the district already identifies children in military families through the new student forms and the district also hosts military recognition events with its Veterans Day celebration.

Becoming a Purple Star School does not cost the district any money, but it makes the district look good, Ackler said. She noted there is not a military base in the immediate area, but there is on in Vienna to the north, so being a Purple Star School could help with open enrollment.

In other business, the board created a fund and accepted the state grant of $20,000 from the Columbiana County Department of Health for COVID contact tracing. The board also approved a contract with the Columbiana County Health District for services and subsequent payment of services to school nurse Melanie Stelts for extra work performed to support case investigation and contract tracing related to COVID.

Additionally the board accepted donations of $50 from Dan and Michele Votaw for the Perkins/Tortora Scholarship Fund in honor of Keith and Marcy Kaiser, $10,000 from Robert Hendricks to the stadium project, $75 from Susan Brandt and Sue Deutschlander for the Perkins/Tortora Scholarship Fund in memory of John Frenger, $75 from Susan Brandt and Sue Deutschlander for the Perkins/Tortora Scholarship Fund in memory of Mert Frenger, $100 from Georgia Loutzenhiser for the Perkins/Tortora Scholarship Fund in memory of Mert Frenger and $1,000 from Cleone Smith for the Ed Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The board also accepted the resignation of Kathy Bennett as Project Lead the Way instructor effective Dec. 29; hired Harold Kelley as a full-time bus driver; and approved supplemental contracts for the 2021-2022 school year to Benjamin Johnson-Bowers as girls head track and indoor track (volunteer), Laurie Crisan as Saturday school detention monitor and Nick Hulea as boys track.

The next regular board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Feb. 16 in the elementary library.