Parents Have Safety Concerns With New LB School

Some members of the Liberty-Benton school community are concerned about how safe the school district’s new K-8 building that’s currently under construction will be.

A community member started a petition on Change.org stating that the proposed architecture and layout of the new K-8 building are not safe against an active shooter.

The petition asks for changes to be made to the classroom doors and for sidelights next to the doors to be eliminated.

The petition has been signed by more than 500 people.

Parents voiced their concerns at the board of education’s latest meeting.

Liberty-Benton Superintendent Mark Kowalski provided WFIN News the following written statement.

“On Wednesday of this week at our regularly scheduled board meeting, the school board and district administration heard comments from residents of our school community regarding campus safety.

With the recent false threat at Liberty Benton High School and other events occurring within our state and nation, school safety and security continues to be a topic that requires ongoing review and scrutiny.

Members of the school board, administration and our construction team have conducted several meetings this week regarding campus safety and security.

The school board and administration at Liberty Benton Local Schools is committed to reviewing safety and security protocols not limited to but including our current and future facilities.

We welcome input from the members of our school community and appreciate your support to enhance our campus safety and security both present and future.”

In November, Liberty-Benton High School was the target of a hoax active shooter call that led to a heavy police response.