NEW PARIS — National Trail Local School District is still working out the kinks in its new SmartBoot Building Safety System. The barricades have been installed and can be used for that purpose, but the electronic system is not yet in place.

During the NT Board of Education meeting on Monday, Dec. 3, Safety Director John Toschlog and Superintendent Bob Fischer presented a safety update for the district.

Training for the SmartBoot will take place once the installation in completed, with a tentative completion date of Jan. 28. Most of the boots have been installed, although there are some which have been removed for corrections.

“As John [Toschlog] and I walked around last week, we noticed several discrepancies and or issues that need to be corrected. With the amount of money we are putting in, we are going to make sure we are getting our money’s worth,” Fischer said.

“For example, in the elementary where they are painted orange, the orange is not properly painted in areas, or it is faded. Or the reflective glass is not properly covering the entire opening. Our theory is, if we are spending the amount of money we are to do this, you are going to give us the best product you can.

“We have been communicating back and forth with SmartBoot on that. We got a response today, they have the information and sent us a new price for some updates. We need to get, because I believe that should be covered in our original estimate.

“The electronics, we were told before Thanksgiving, we would get the electronics portion of it set up. We got an email today stating they are just getting some of the electronic components in and it may be next week. I will email again later to ask the new date. We don’t know if that Jan. 28 date will be set.”

Staff members have recently begun self defense training. There were approximately 15 staff members that who took part the first class. According to Toschlog, there was an overwhelming positive response from those staff members.

Principals have also recently conducted safety drills in various areas, focusing on rapid evacuation drills.

Toschlog also updated the board on some transportation news.

The new school bus was supposed to be delivered by Thanksgiving, but was delayed.

Buses had a spot inspection on Monday, Dec. 3. The inspection cycle typically starts in the summer. The final inspection was held on July 22, and all buses passed.

During the spot inspections, only minor problems have been found. Those were fixed day of inspection. According to Toschlog, the bus fleet is in good condition.