DAGSBORO, Del. — Changes could be on the way to Indian River High School as school officials and the town of Dagsboro discuss the possibility of annexing the school into town limits.
At an Aug. 24 Indian River School District Board of Education meeting, board President Mark Steele said he spoke with the Dagsboro Town Council in July about potentially annexing the high school.
Steele said the move could provide an additional layer of police protection for the school.
“It would enable, I believe, at this particular point in time, their police force could patrol the area if needed. They could also be part of our school safety plans along with the SRO who would head those up,” Steele said.
Vicky Parcan, who has worked in education, said she does not believe additional police coverage is enough of a reason for the annexation.
“I think it is great to know that the police will come, but I would expect that the police would come anyways, whether it's from Ocean View or Dagsboro or any other nearby town, if there's an emergency at a school. My experience has been that they will come,” Parcan said.
Steele also said annexation could give Indian River High School a stronger connection to the surrounding community.
“I mean, I take a look at some of the other schools in Georgetown. You have that sense of community. Indian River has been the one that's in between. They were neither Dagsboro and neither Frankford, and it just seems to be a good time to get them in,” Steele said.
The town of Dagsboro told CoastTV News it had no comment because nothing has been confirmed and no applications have been submitted.
Steele said the school could also contribute to efforts to improve the appearance of the town.
“I think the school can offer the town a lot of things. And after going to that meeting, the town wants to beautify its surroundings. And I heard things like they want planters and benches and things. And I know in the high school tech program they build those things. You know, the town buys the lumber. The kids could build it. We could kill two birds with one stone,” Steele said.
For now, nothing has been decided. Steele made it clear the school board could still reject the annexation.
The board's unanimous vote Aug. 24 was only to proceed with conversations with the town of Dagsboro.
It also remains unclear whether the potential annexation would have any tax implications, as Dagsboro officials declined to comment on the proposal.
