Kewanee High School students will be able to play tennis on their own courts now, as the new courts across the street from the school are finished.
“We just received the occupancy permits for the courts today,” School Supt. Rebecca Baney said at Monday’s Kewanee School Board meeting.
The courts with their blue playing surfaces are part of the new athletic complex across Third Street from the school. A new fitness court is also part of the complex.
Baney said Kewanee High’s Key Club is planning to host a pickleball tournament on the new courts.
Another construction project is also under way in the school district. New flooring is being installed at Belle Alexander School.
Baney said that job is progressing well and should be finished by mid-July.
The board also discussed vaping by students at KHS, something which has become an issue in recent years.
“I’ve heard from students how much of a problem it is,” board member Lori Christiansen said.
Baney said school officials recently saw a demonstration of a system that could alert them if a student is vaping in the school.
The system proposed for Kewanee High includes 12 detectors for vaping gases, and nine video cameras which cover the areas where the detectors are.
School officials could watch the video to see who was vaping, and identify the student involved.
Baney said the devices would cost about $23,000. Buying them might mean putting off other planned purchases, she added.
The board didn’t vote on buying the system, but members’ comments indicated that they supported the purchase.
