By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Safety is always a concern for school officials. Last summer, the USD 428 Board of Education approved the purchase of new risers for the Great Bend district's five elementary schools and high school. Monday night, Assistant Superintendent John Popp approached the board about Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) and folding lunch tables.
"There are more recommendations now about how far away - how many minutes of walking you are in a certain building in order to be able to get to an AED," he said. "We need to add a couple of AEDs to make sure we're not over that limit.
AEDs will be added at Great Bend High School and the new Little Panthers Preschool. The board approved the purchase of four AEDs and accompanying cabinets and signage from Wichita's First Responder KS. With a 5-year maintenance plan, the purchase was approved at $10,535. Popp then discussed the purchase of lunch tables but the board took no action.
"As we've been reviewing them, we've gotten some bids and some more information about different tables," Popp said. "We'd actually like to hold off on purchasing these tables until potentially our next meeting or next month. I can tell you quotes are in the $100,000 to $120,000 range for 60 tables for all five of our elementaries."
Popp said the district's current tables do not always fold properly and could result in injuries to employees.