A motion to ban a juvenile from Limestone County Board of Education property during Tuesday’s board meeting led to talk about school security and what more can be done to protect students and staff.

Because the person being banned is a juvenile, their name and why they were banned were not released by the board. However, that didn’t stop them from talking about what happens after a ban is approved.

“Even though we’re banning these folks, they’re still coming on to the property,” board member Earl Glaze said.

Rusty Bates, director of transportation, safety and athletics for Limestone County Schools, agreed it has been an issue in the past. He explained after a person is banned, school resource officers are provided the banned individual’s name and photo, plus any information relevant to the ban. That way, if the person tries to come back on LCBOE property or attend an LCBOE-sponsored event, such as a football game or school ceremony, SROs can escort them off the property.

Staff are also made aware of the banned individual so they can alert an SRO if they see the person, he said.

Glaze questioned why they weren’t arrested, given they’d already committed an offense bad enough to be banned. While some bans are only for the remainder of a school year or one calendar year, individuals can be banned for a lifetime. Yet after receiving a ban, individuals could return to campus, be escorted off and return a second time before facing criminal charges.

“Why are they not arrested the first time? We’ve got some that are coming back on property that have some serious offenses,” Glaze said. “Personally, I’d like them to be arrested the first time.”

Board chairman Bret McGill agreed.

“If we’re banning them, we’re banning them because of a safety issue,” he said. “… It should be taken very seriously, much like a restraining order.”

Bates explained to The News Courier on Wednesday that in addition to an SRO at each school during school hours, there could be multiple deputies at ball games, and school administrators help with spring events. He told board members at Tuesday’s meeting that if they wanted to arrest banned individuals the first time they violated a ban, it could be handled that way.