Officials: Signs need updated near Youngstown schools

By Denise Dick

denise_dick@vindy.com

Youngstown

School officials will provide to the city a list of signs near school buildings that need to be updated.

At a meeting Wednesday of city council’s education committee, Superintendent Connie Hathorn said some of the signs near schools are the older versions.

William Morvay, school security chief, said signs in the school zone along Schenley Avenue don’t have flashing lights.

“You basically have to guess when you come through there when school is in session with no flashing lights,” he said.

Councilman John R. Swierz, D-7th, education-committee chairman, asked the district to provide a list of all the signage that needs to be updated to city officials.

Swierz said he called the meeting to re-establish communication between council and the school board.

Swierz also had questions about the school district’s policy on community use of school buildings.

“We were told when we were hearing about the bond issue that if it passed, these would be community schools,” he said.

But when a block watch in his ward wanted to use a school building for a meeting, they were told $1 million in liability insurance was required and that school custodians had to be paid for their time.

Harry Evans, chief of operations for the schools, said that’s required in school-district policy.

A custodian must be on site in case problems arise, and the insurance protects the school from lawsuits if someone is injured, he said.

City and school officials said it may be possible for the city or other groups to provide the coverage for qualified groups.