Cove district: Measures taken to increase school security

COVE — The Cove School District’s grounds will be a brighter place during evenings this fall — and not only because its football field will have lights.

Lights for new security cameras have been installed in seven areas outside of Cove’s school buildings this summer. Some of the lights are activated by motion and others are on continuously when it is dark.

The cameras the lights will assist will make anyone considering committing vandalism or getting involved in criminal mischief think twice. The cameras are always on and are motion activated.

“The lights are for security and safety issues. When it is dark they will help keep people from stumbling around outside,’’ Clark said.

Much brighter lights will be illuminating Cove High School’s football field this fall on Friday nights. Lights were installed on the field July 13. They were recently tested and adjusted to make sure that all portions of the field are properly illuminated, Clark told the school board Tuesday.

The Cove Booster Club has led the football field light project. Mary Brainerd of the Booster Club has been the project’s coordinator. Major contributors to the project include Jim Wright of Wright Electric and Oregon Trail Electric.

The lights will be used for a football game for the first time Sept. 11 when Cove High School plays Echo at 7 p.m.

In action items the board voted Tuesday to allow Cove High School boys and girls cross country runners to be part of a co-op team with Union High School. The merger will not be effective until it is also approved by the Union School Board and the Oregon School Activities Association.

The Union School Board will vote at its Aug. 12 meeting on approval of the co-op proposal for cross country.

Cove has had boys and girls cross country for about four years but has had trouble getting large enough turnouts to field full teams. Schools need five runners to qualify for team scoring in cross country meets.

Union High School is a perennial power in cross country. Its boys team has won the past two state Class 3A titles and a total of four since 1978. Union’s girls team has won seven state titles since 1985, the most recent in 2003.

“Our runners would have a chance to be part of Union’s outstanding cross country tradition,’’ Clark said.

The Cove School District’s enrollment picture was also discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. Clark expects the district to have 37 students from outside the school district in 2009-10, up 10 from the past year. One reason for the increase may be the Cove School District’s new charter status, which allows students to transfer from the district they live in to one outside it without permission from either of the districts.

Cove is expected to have 25 students from the La Grande School District, 11 from the Union School District and one from the Elgin School District. Clark said that a number of these are students who lived in the Cove School District in 2008-09 but then moved out of of the community with their families but wanted to continue going to school in Cove.

About 10 students living in the Cove School District are expected to be attending other schools in Union County this fall. Cove’s charter status also makes it easier for students to transfer out of the district.

Clark said that the number transferring out would be the same even if Cove did not have charter status. He explained that the Cove School District has long allowed parents to have the freedom to send their children to the schools of their choice.