Retired Los Angeles Police Department detective Bob Halloran donated pepper spray to the Bigfork School District earlier this month and the Bigfork School District board of trustees needs to decide what they intend to do with it.

Bigfork School District Superintendent Cynthia Clary said his donation was made for the elementary school in particular since the process of ordering pepper spray for the school would take an extended period of time.

There are no prohibitions against using or carrying pepper spray in public schools, but as an inflammatory agent the board of trustees must develop a policy for which staff members would have access to it and what level of training they would need.

Clary noted that complications could arise with pepper spray entering the ventilation system and injuring others within the building in addition to allergy concerns.

Bigfork High School’s principal Matt Porovecchio said pepper spray could be beneficial to the district if restricted to a select few faculty members with special training.

“I think the sad reality is that if something like that were to happen here I don’t see people charging down the hall with a can of pepper spray,” Bigfork Elementary School’s principal Matt Jensen said. “Issuing it in every classroom would have more risks than opportunities for it to be used effectively.”

BES vice principal Brenda Clarke agreed with Jensen, noting that teachers are not trained to “stand up against a bad guy,” but that she could see both sides of the argument.

Clary followed by pointing out there were some faculty members that she wouldn’t feel comfortable with carrying pepper spray.

District clerk Eda Taylor said training needed to be ongoing and more intensive than what is done with CPR training.

“There needs to be criteria for it,” board chair Maureen Averill said. “If something like Sandy Hook is going to happen, it is going to happen. That kid shot his way into the school but that doesn’t mean we can’t take steps to diffuse the situation.”

Clary pointed out that students also need training on school safety, her example was a young student being polite and opening a locked door for someone knocking from the outside.

The board decided to look at sample policies on how the district could handle the donated pepper spray. They will resume discussing whether or not to accept the donation, and if so, what to do with it, at their next meeting on Feb. 20.

If somebody is going to do it, they are going to do it,” Clary said. “Our schools are very safe, but the goal is to make them safer.”

In other Bigfork School District news:

• Bigfork will host the state golf tournament on May 13-15.

• BES is having its first “Fairy Tale Ball” for parents and students to attend in costume as fairy tale characters on Feb. 13 from 5-7 p.m.

• The board of trustees unanimously approved the Interlocal Agreements for BES and BHS to transfer funds to their joint account for maintenance costs. The trustees also unanimously approved the superintendent’s contact for 2013-16.

TRUSTEE ELECTION

Trustees Mike Roessmann and Thaddeus Jordt’s three-year terms expire this spring and candidate nominations are due to the district clerk by March 28 at 4 p.m. Petitions must have signatures from five qualified voters and the nominees must live in the Bigfork Elementary School District to qualify for a position on the board.

Same-day voter registration does not apply to school district elections. Voters must register by April 7, voter registration cards are available in the district office. Absentee ballots will be available on April 17 and the election will take place on May 7.