Trustees mulling closing SHS campus at lunch

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  • Snyder High School Principal Chris Yeschke talked to school trustees Thursday about issues concerning possibly closing the high school campus at lunchtime. Officials will explore the issue further before making a decision in March.
    Snyder High School Principal Chris Yeschke talked to school trustees Thursday about issues concerning possibly closing the high school campus at lunchtime. Officials will explore the issue further before making a decision in March.
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As they consider whether they want to turn Snyder High School into a closed campus during lunchtime, the Snyder ISD board of trustees certainly realize there are strong arguments both for and against the proposal. Equally clear is that there will be no easy answer that satisfies those on opposite sides of the issue.

The board discussed the issue at length during its Thursday meeting and heard convincing arguments from both sides. On the one hand, there are students, business owners and others who favor retaining the high school’s open campus status. On the other, there were educators who, citing security and safety concerns, want to keep students on-campus during the lunch hour.

Speaking against the proposal was Gina Jones of First United Methodist Church, which hosts a regular meeting of high school students during the week.

“We provide lunch to the kids (during the meeting),” Jones said. “This is a way for us to reach out to them, and they can get together without feeling threatened. Obviously, we could no longer do this if you close the campus.”

Trustee Ron Hester also noted that local businesses could suffer if they lose the lunchtime traffic provided by the students.

“I know this will affect businesses in the area, and a lot of them donate a ton of money — a ton — to the school district,” Hester said. “Taking that money out of their pockets would definitely be harmful.”

However, Hester said he understood the rationale for closing the campus.

“Safety has to be No. 1 for us,” he said. “If we have a student accident during lunchtime, everything I’ve just said is moot. When students leave for lunch, you have a bunch of cars going back and forth, and the parking lot is a hazard. I’m very torn on this.”

Another trustee torn on the issue was Brad Hinton.

“Our kids are No. 1, but you businesses do a lot for us, and we thank you for what you do for us,” Hinton said. “I just hope we can do something on this that is good for everybody involved.”

Superintendent Jim Kirkland listed several reasons for the possible move.

“The chance of student injury while off-campus is very real,” Kirkland said. “Plus, the largest percentage of drug and alcohol consumption by students is during the lunch hour.”

Kirkland also noted that the school district spends “thousands” of dollars on security at the high school, “and that security is lost when the students leave for lunch.”

Also, while businesses may be negatively impacted by closing the high school during lunchtime, the school district is already getting hit in the pocketbook, Kirkland said.

“Snyder ISD just spent $4 million on the high school cafeteria, which currently serves 100 out of 600 students enrolled there,” he said. “This is hardly cost-effective.”

Snyder High School Principal Chris Yeschke said there have been at least four lunchtime traffic accidents at the high school this school year. While sympathetic to the possible plight facing businesses, he said his students’ safety was his primary concern.

“I’ve been to kids’ funeral before, and it’s not something I want to do again,” Yeschke said. “There’s ways to get around this with these businesses and organizations. We just have to come up with a plan. I don’t want to hurt businesses, but I don’t want to see any of our kids hurt, either.”

Board President Ralph Ramon said the issue would be revisited during the board’s March meeting. In the interim, he appointed Hinton and fellow trustees Doug Neff and Ronnie Anderson to explore the issue and make recommendations.