PESHTIGO – One of the main topics of discussion for the Peshtigo School District Board of Education has been tactics to increase safety measures. Discussion on this continued with a Safety and Security Board Report during the recent June 10 meeting.

This topic stemmed from a security breach on Monday, Jan. 26, when a man entered the school during a community blood drive with a firearm and knives on his person. Following a student’s call to the police, the man — later identified as Trevor Salewsky — was taken into custody and is facing judgement on four misdemeanor charges and four felony charges. Salewsky is currently awaiting a competency exam.

Since the breach, school superintendent Patrick Rau spoke about the emphasis the school has put on maintaining visitor procedures, adding additional safety signage and increasing training. The district also reviews the crisis plan on an annual basis, utilizes emergency alert systems and uses a variety of social training programs.

Both buildings will be receiving secure entrances with security film, additional emergency kits and an improved emergency alert system.

Safety survey results

The district also conducted parent, staff and student surveys, which they shared the results of during the recent board meeting.

When asked if their child feels safe at school, 67.3% of elementary school parents agreed and 24.3% strongly agreed, while 6.5% disagreed. Among middle school parents, 75% agreed and 10.4% strongly agreed with the statement, with 10.4% disagreeing. At the high school level, 66.7% of parents agreed and 18.8% strongly agreed that their child feels safe, while 10.1% disagreed.

When district staff were asked if they felt safe at work, the majority expressed feeling secure, with 54.2% agreeing and 44.1% strongly agreeing with the statement.

Students were also asked to reflect on whether they feel safe at school. Among students in grades four through six, 61.3% responded that they “definitely” feel safe and 25.8% said they “sort of” feel safe. Additionally, 6.7% of these younger students answered “not really” and 5.2% answered “no.”

Responses from students in grades seven through twelve showed that 48% “sort of” feel safe and 19.9% “definitely” feel safe whereas 19.7% of older students indicated they did “not really” feel safe, and 12.2% said “no.”

Although recent district surveys indicate that the majority of parents, students, and staff currently feel safe at school, the board is currently researching the financial and social impacts of different security measures.

Proposed safety increases

One safety measure that has been proposed to the board is the implementation of metal detectors.

The district would require six to 10 metal detectors for the entrances, which would cost $4,000 to $6,000 per machine in up-front hardware costs. Additionally, the district estimates another $147,000 to $210,000 annually in personnel and operational costs.

In addition to the cost, some of the implementation barriers include privacy concerns when personal bags are searched, a change in the school climate and environment as well as delays in student entry during busy times.

The other possible option would be the hiring of a school resource officer (SRO).
Based on research the board conducted on the benefits and drawbacks of a SRO, the officer’s duties would be strictly outlined to focus on law enforcement, emergency management and mentorship, with firm boundaries prohibiting their involvement in routine student discipline.

The district is looking into leveraging Fund 80 (Community Programs and Services) to pay for the officer. For the position to legally qualify under Fund 80, the funding must go towards a community-wide need rather than a school-specific need.

This means the individual’s primary responsibility would not be providing school security, but also communicating with the community, remaining accessible to students on and off campus and working a schedule beyond school hours.

The estimated budget impact to hire an SRO through the Marinette Sheriff’s Department is $200,000.

Since the 2025 - 2027 state budget provided no additional state aid to school districts, the financial burden of these upgrades will fall entirely on local taxpayers. If the district moves forward with the $200,000 SRO budget, the local mill rate would increase, costing the owner of a $200,000 home roughly $56 extra per year.
Safety implementation timeline

The board is slated to make a final decision on pursuing metal detectors, an SRO or both by August. Any related budget modifications will be proposed to electors during a meeting in October, with the goal to implement the new security protocols by January or February of 2027.