Voting will be off limits at several Nixa schools. In September, the Nixa School Board voted to terminate the agreement with the Christian County Election Authority, which allows polling to take place at schools. The board will renegotiate a new agreement with the county.
Concerns for student safety prompted the decision to find another agreement. School board president Joshua Roberts said that the threats of bombing and shooting threats that the district faced a week before the meeting reinforced the importance of student safety.
“With two bomb threats and a third school shooter threat in the week preceding the meeting, the safety and security of our students and staff was a top priority,” Roberts said “In addition, [the] discussion pointed out that the agreement did not align with the board’s current political signage policy, failed to address who enforces electioneering laws and contained dated legal guidelines regarding First Amendment electioneering issues.”
The discussion around relocating polling sites may involve moving them from elementary schools to secondary buildings.
“With more facilities coming online, with [the] Apex, the operation center off of Nicholas Road and then a few other locations around the school district, we might be able to reduce the number of elementary schools and intermediate schools that are used as polling locations,” Zac Rantz, chief communication officer and safety coordinator for the district, said.
Though the community has been discussing this change, the ultimate decision is up to the CCEA.
“To use a particular school building — a tax-supported property — as a polling location rests with the CCEA and not with the school district,” Roberts said.
The district is working with the county to try and find a solution that works for all the parties.
“The goal would be to have a revised contract by December, or … January,” Nixa Superintendent Dr. Gearl Loden said. “We need to get a contract in place, but I think you would see just some tweaks … until we figure out which elementary schools will be voting places.”
Loden said the district wants to continue to provide voting locations to offer community members easy access to being civically engaged.
“Our goal is not to do anything that would keep people from voting,” Loden said. “We want people to vote, and I believe with the shift to the early voting … this gives you the opportunity.”