By Greg Grisolano

ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com

A proposal to deannex the Joplin School District’s new South Middle School from the village of Leawood was defeated Tuesday night after about a dozen residents who live near the property made it clear they wanted it to remain in Leawood.

“We are not ‘yes men’ on this board,” Trustee John Mitchell said after the meeting of the village board. “All the people there were not for it, and we’re elected to serve the people.”

Mitchell was one of three trustees to vote against pursuing the matter. The motion failed 3 to 1 after a 90-minute public hearing Tuesday at the Newton County sheriff’s satellite office.

C.J. Huff, superintendent of schools in Joplin, had previously said the district was waiting on the board’s decision before pursuing several logistical moves that need to be addressed before the school opens — including issues with school resource (police) officers and obtaining ordinances that would lower speed limits in front of the school to 20 mph.

Issues

“Right now what we’ll be tackling is the school resource officer commissions (from the county sheriff’s department), ordinances with speed limits,” he said. “It changes our line of thought on what our steps will be, and that’s an adjustment we’ll be making in the next 24 hours so we can work through any of those issues.”

Newton County officials, including Sheriff Ken Copeland, had previously criticized the school district for “a lack of communication” regarding those issues.

Board Chairman Denny Desmond was the lone vote in favor of moving forward with the deannexation request from the school district. Board member David Smith abstained because of having a relationship with the school district.

Huff reiterated during the meeting that the district hoped to move forward with its plan to have the property annexed by Joplin in order to maintain continuity with Joplin police and fire departments, which serve most of the district’s buildings.

“The issue this evening is not about whether or not we feel like Newton County (sheriff’s department) can handle it or Redings Mill can handle it,” he said. “The issue we have is more internal. We have 19 schools, and we try to the best degree to have congruency to communicate with one another.

‘Seconds matter’

“Seconds matter in these types of situations. Certainly in day to day, Newton County and Redings Mill could handle it, but long term, I’m thinking if something were to happen, whether a tornado or fire, or some significant incident like we have had in the past, we’d certainly like to have that one point of contact.”

But several residents said they would prefer the district work out an alternate arrangement with the Newton County Sheriff’s Department and Redings Mill for services, after it was brought out during the hearing that similar arrangements have been made to accommodate schools in Duenweg, and the new East Middle School in Duquesne.