Superintendent addresses lawsuit, incident

At the Tiffin City Schools Board of Education meeting Monday, Superintendent Ben Richards addressed a lawsuit as well as an incident at Noble 4-5 Elementary School a couple of weeks ago. He explained that Tiffin City Schools is suing JBA Management Services over the installation of the track at Tiffin Columbian High School in 2019. "We paid money for a track to be installed and the moment it was installed, it was not up to the expectations and standards that were stated in the contract," Richards explained. "We have worked to try to resolve that through other channels (and) have been unsuccessful. As a last-ditch effort, we are having to avail ourselves to the legal system." He also said that they (TCS) did not get what they paid for and want to ensure that taxpayers get what the funds were allocated for. He then addressed an incident that happened at Noble on Oct. 10. "I just want everyone to understand there are times and situations where we are not able to release all the information, we are privy to," he said. "I understand that as a parent it's frustrating." Richards then said the safety of children is at the forefront of every decision they (TCS) make. He added that he couldn't have been prouder of how the staff handled the situation. "When they realized there was a situation, they immediately followed proper protocols to ensure that kids were kept safe. We did keep kids safe the entire time." He also said there were a few things during the situation that need to be done better in the future and is working to ensure that that happens. Richards also explained that a soft lockdown happens when there is an event in or around the vicinity. "The goal is that we keep safe all the kids and staff that are inside the buildings. The kids and staff were 100% safe. If we would have dismissed them, there would have been a risk." Also at the meeting, Assistant Superintendent Robert Boes presented the first quarter Crystal Apple awards to Jackie Saum and Rachel Gaietto. The board then watched a presentation by student Samuel Faber, who talked about his experience at Space Camp for Visually Impaired Students. Faber was able to participate in various astronaut jobs and tried out a zero-gravity turner. ThenDesign Architecture also gave a presentation about the company, its procedures and projects it has done in the past. The firm was selected after a lengthy process that started with nine companies and down to three after which ThenDesign was chosen. It is to work with Tiffin City Schools on a districtwide improvement project. The board then approved the following action items: 7.01 - Adopt Resolution Selecting ThenDesign Architecture for Pre-Bond Services 7.02 - Approve FY23 NCOESC Mid-Year Foundation Update 7.03 - Approve NCOESC Braille Services Program Contract FY23 7.04 - Approve NCOESC Technology Services Program Contract FY23 7.05 - Approve GLCAP MOU 7.06 - Approve Letter of Concurrence Regarding Transfer of Sick Leave 7.07 - Approve Administrator Contract 7.08 - Approve Single Case Agreement and Funding Authorization 7.09 - Approve Wheeler Pediatric Services Agreement 7.10 - Approve Goals and Objectives of the Superintendent