TANNEHILL

Bond Transparency Act of 2017

Evidence of Indebtedness Form

Name of School District: ESD #56 Pittsburg County, OK (Tannehill Public Schools)

Address: Rural Route 1, Box 75

McAlester, OK 74501

Date of New Bond Election: February 12, 2019

Amount of New Bond Election: $1,050,000

Projects to be completed with New Bond Election Proceeds:

Construct, equip and furnish a Storm Shelter Addition and acquire additional school district furniture, fixtures and equipment

Amount of bonds outstanding from previous bond election(s): n/a

Previous Bond election date(s): n/a

Projects to be completed from previous bond election(s) which are still outstanding (if real property is included, provide street address):

TANNEHILL SCHOOL STORM SHELTER USE POLICY

This document is a preliminary policy statement outlining the position of the Tannehill Board of Education regarding the use of a new safe-room facility to be built if approved by voters. The aim of this statement is to answer the public’s questions as to how the facility would be used. The intention of the school board is to provide maximum benefit to school students and the public. These policies may be necessarily changed if any portion is found to disqualify the district from receiving funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency or otherwise unintentionally violates state or federal regulations.

1. The two new classrooms proposed for construction would be utilized for the youngest aged classes- the pre-school and perhaps the kindergarten. The aim being to improve access and reduce these students’ exposure to the weather as they move to activities within the main building. School administrators make a yearly evaluation of room assignments and this plan would be subject to change under that evaluation.
2. The portable buildings will remain in use. There is a need for more space. The school has daily visits from professionals such as counselors, therapists and speech instructors that could make use of these rooms. Also as we add classes such as art, remediation and intervention for struggling students, music, 4H and others, these activities could benefit from extra space possibilities. These  rooms would also grant the flexibility to split larger classes should the need arise.
3. The shelter will be available for community use. The school board and administrators would coordinate with the County Office of Emergency Management and the local fire department to develop a set of protocols wherein first-responders from the Tannehill Fire Department would have access to keys kept at the local fire station. This first-responder would act as the responsible party to open the facility after hours.
4. When The National Weather Service issues a tornado watch followed by a severe thunderstorm warning, first responders would take that as a directive to open the shelter. In addition there may be employees on the school staff that reside close to the school who could be assigned the responsibility of opening the facility during these conditions. These protocols would be aided by the installation of the county tornado siren at the school - which is at present a work in progress under the supervision of the County Commissioner’s Office.
5. During school hours or school activities, the primary aim is to protect the safety of students and school staff. The public is encouraged to use alternate safety facilities if at all possible – but the facility will be available for use by the public should the need arise during school hours. Normal safety procedures for admittance to school facilities i.e. signing in and entering through the main lobby doors -will be observed in accordance with the level of any imminent severe weather threat. In the event of an elevated level of immediate threat to public safety, expedited admittance procedures would be followed.
6.  Animals will not be permitted to be admitted to the storm shelter. People that wish to provide safety for their pets or other animals should find alternate means. There is a danger that a person or student seeking shelter in the facility might have allergies to animals such that a life-threatening allergic reaction could be induced. Also, the need for orderly management of the shelter could be impeded by the presence of animals or pets behaving erratically or contributing to chaos.