MILFORD - A Milford Middle School student was suspended Monday after he reportedly took a non-functioning hand grenade to school.
According to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department, the 14-year-old student allegedly had the device in his backpack when a teacher saw it.
Kosciusko County Sheriff's Deputy and Wawasee School Resource Officer Derek Kreider inspected the hand grenade and quickly determined that is was non-functioning.
It is not illegal to possess such items, however, it is against the Wawasee Community School Corp.'s policy.
The student told police that a member of his family recently purchased the device at a local gun and knife show and then gave it to the boy as a present.The teen said he was playing with the grenade in the woods over the weekend, put it in his backpack and forgot to take it out before he went to school Monday morning.
The boy reportedly showed the grenade to another student while on the way to school. That student then told school officials about the device.
The student who was in possession of the grenade on school property was suspended from school.
Triton Mulls Cuts
BOURBON - Triton School board announced the way it would meet its $243,000 budget reduction at the meeting Monday evening.
With the current plan, no teaching positions will be lost.
Triton will:
- Eliminate one teacher at the high school. This teacher was already leaving their position and will not be replaced.
- Eliminate student accident insurance.
- Eliminate outside pest control.
- Not fill vacant ECA positions.
- Reduce the number of high school and elementary school aides.
- Save money on transportation utilities.
- Charge the food service department for custodial help.
- Reduce the amount of summer custodial help.
- Eliminate one custodian out of the corporation.
- Not fill the elementary assistant principal position.
- Eliminate the summer driver's education program.
There are several other ideas on the table to reduce the total another $21,348, but they have been tabled until after teacher contracts are negotiated.
The board also approved several personnel matters, including:
- Christine McIntire requested approval of six unpaid days to finish her Leadership Program.
- Hiring Dave Carpenter as the junior high golf coach.
- Hiring Layne Leeper as the junior varsity baseball coach.
- Hiring Rodney Younis as the varsity baseball assistant.
- Jeff Christner as the junior varsity baseball volunteer assistant.
- And blanket approval for the hiring of: Carmen Meister, varsity track coach; Justina Faulkner, junior high track coach; Curt Kreft, varsity track coach; Terrin Meister, track assistant both boys ad girls; and Ryan Meister as junior high track coach.
Dave Gould, representing the Booster Club, announced the current Booster Club has decided to disband, stating that the club needs to change its philosophy due to changing economic times. The vote to disband carried a 6-0 vote. The hope is that another group of people will pick it up in the future.
There are still several thousands of dollars in the Booster Fund that they will pay out in the same fashion that it has in the past, over the next two years. This format is written, and by law must be carried out in the scholarship practice that they have been using for 18 years.
The board approved the NEOLA adoption of policies to be in compliance.
The board approved the one change in the student 2010-2011 school calendar, which removes one day in October as fall break and replaces it with Oct. 27 as a parent/teacher conference day.
Elementary school has completed iSteps and the high school is beginning theirs.
Rape Reported At Triton High
BOURBON - A 14-year-old girl reported being raped at Triton High School Thursday.
Bourbon Town Marshal John West confirmed that an investigation is ongoing concerning an alleged rape at the school, but he declined to give any details regarding the investigation.
The Times-Union confirmed that the girl was taken to a Marshall County hospital where a rape kit was administered.
West did confirm that the girl alleged it was another student who raped her. West said this was the first reported incident of this kind at the high school.
Triton High School Principal Michael Chobanov declined to comment and directed any questions to the school's attorney, Mark Wagner.
Wagner, an attorney in Bremen, was out of town and will be unavailable for comment until Wednesday, according to a representative from his office.
