Safety is top focus as Centerville Schools prepare for new year

CENTERVILLE — Centerville City Schools are preparing for the upcoming academic year, and district officials say security is the top priority.

While parents hit the stores to stock up on school supplies and clothes, Centerville Schools told News Center 7's Kayla Courvell how it is stocking up on something else: safety.

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There are new flashing lights at one elementary school, the school zone has been expanded for another elementary school, and the district has added new school resource officer.

The district has had school resource officers for 20 years. Until now, they’ve had two officers from the Centerville Police Department and one deputy from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.

“Another initiative to make sure our staff and students are safe here at Centerville Schools,” Superintendent Tom Henderson said of the new SRO. “It’s not because there’s been any dire emergency or anything that impacted us significantly, but we try always to be proactive and do the right thing.”

The decision to add an SRO came long before the mass shooting in Dayton.

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“We kind of leave no stone unturned to have things in place for safety,” Henderson said.

Centerville’s Cline Elementary School has a new school zone sign on Virginia Avenue.

The flashers on the original sign were old and the city of Centerville spent $18,000 to put in the new signs with solar-powered lights. Drivers are already seeing it.

Last, the school zone was expanded at Centerville’s Weller Elementary School. In Ohio, the speed limit in school zones is 20 mph during school recess and open and closing hours.

“There will be plenty of notice to get drivers to slow down,” Henderson said.

The new changes take effect Aug. 14 at the start of the new school year.