PRINT ARTICLE

Print    Close This Window
School Resource Officer

School Safety & Security Community

The district continuously strives to ensure the safety of our students and staff.

 

This summary is an effort to share with our community our ongoing efforts.  It is very comprehensive, but certainly not exhaustive – as we do so much more on a daily basis:

 

=         Held a Spring, 2018 School & Community Safety Forum

=         Put together and compiled the results of a parent-community School Safety Survey

=         Held a June, 2018 School & Community Safety Forum

 

The purpose of these meetings was to provide an update of what we were currently doing, what was in process, and future considerations regarding school safety and to discuss the feasibility of securing a school resource officer.

 

These collaborative discussions between members of our community, parents, safety experts, school personnel, and our School Board and administrators led to the following:

=         Aug., 2018           Employed School Resource Officer Deputy Adam Chellis through a shared agreement between the Wayne County Sheriff’s Dept. Wayne County Commissioners, and Northwestern Schools

=         Aug., 2018           Bus Driver Safety Professional Development

=         Aug., 2018           Expanded Peer Supports through strong HS student leaders interacting with ES students (training through ANAZAO)

=         Aug., 2018           Added additional emotional and counseling supports through The Counseling Center 360

=         Oct., 2018            Bus Driver Bus Emergency Training with SWAT Team

=         October, 2018    Added Additional Case Management and Transition Services through Goodwill Industries

=         Dec., 2018            Reviewed & Updated all Homeland Security School Building and School District Safety Plans

=         Dec., 2018            Submitted successful $40,000 BWC School Safety and Security Grant (Incl. 17 Security Cameras, 10 Bus Replacement Cameras, Replacement ES and HS Electronic Lock Systems, 6 additional Handheld Radios)

=         Feb., 2019            All School Staff “Stop the Bleed” Training

=         Feb., 2019            “Stop the Bleed” Kits acquired for every classroom

=         March, 2019       Applied for $5,000 PBIS Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Grant for to train more

                                faculty, staff & administrators program. If awarded will occur in Aug.-Sept., 2019               

=         April, 2019           Sheriff’s Dept.-Northwestern collaboration in applying for D.A.R.E. Grant funds for 19-20 school year

=         April, 2019           Install Additional 17 Security Cameras

=         April, 2019           Install 10 Replacement Bus Security Cameras and Hard Drives

=         April, 2019           Receive 6 Additional Handheld Radios

=         May, 2019           Complete and incorporate Individual Classroom Crisis Response Lists

=         June, 2019           Install New ES and HS Electronic Lock Systems

=         July, 2019             Install Impact-Resistant Glass Coating at all building entrances – doors and windows

=         Aug, 2019             install opaque coating on classroom and select internal doors and windows

=         Ongoing               Studying and adding additional secondary door lock systems for classrooms as determined

=         Ongoing               SRO educating students through classroom presentations and through ongoing student interactions

=         Improved security to secondary exits through cameras, peepholes, and alarms

=         Ongoing               Tornado, Fire, Emergency Evacuation, Armed Intruder, and other drills

=         Ongoing               Crisis Intervention Training

=         Ongoing               Armed Intruder Alice Training

=         Ongoing               involvement in county-wide discussions re social media and bullying

=         Ongoing               Student education, speakers, and assemblies on dangers of social media and bullying

=         Ongoing               Mental Health & Recovery Board, Jobs & Family Services Meetings, Family & Children First Council, and other pertinent meetings

Future Considerations:

=         SRO educating through DARE programming (planned to begin Aug., 2019, if grant approved)

(all students in 5th and 7th Grades)

=         Providing more comprehensive Staff “Unarmed Self-Defense training” in an intruder situation for all staff

=         Software to potentially scan social media for key phrases, threats, and self-harm

=         Install a gate across the NE corner of the HS Building across to the storage building and fencing to secure the back of the HS (currently unaffordable)

=         Multi-directional signal boosters for MARCs handheld radios (currently unaffordable)

=         We are searching for additional school safety, opioid, or DARE officer content, if we can qualify for grant money

January – June 2018:

=         Expanded & increased Counseling, Therapy, Family Counseling, Case Management Services through and within Northwestern Schools at all grades

=         Added a third organization to provide additional services – Family Counseling out of Mansfield – in addition to services provided by Catholic Charities and ANAZAO

=         Peer supports – HS to upper ES students (training through ANAZAO)

=         Positive Behavior Supports (PBIS) – refresher and more intensive training

=         Numerous staff discussions regarding school safety and security

=         Continued anti-bullying efforts

=         Continued efforts focusing on individual student needs and climate/family issues – especially anger management, self-esteem, relationships, and resiliency

=         Wayne County Bullying Conference (Mrs. Beun has taken an active role and was a panel members and speaker for this spring county-wide event as well)

=         Updated and replaced several security cameras

=         Provided Staff “Unarmed Self-Defense training” in an intruder situation for staff in all three buildings voluntarily

=         Purchased and distributed pepper spray to administrators, secretaries, custodians, interested bus drivers, and other key employees

=         Purchased magnetic door lock pads for classroom doors

=         Replacement of MS Entrance Security Camera system

=         Mandate that all Secondary exits remain locked and secured – no propping or unlocking of doors

=         Expanded access of our security cameras to Sheriff Dept. Deputies on their electronic devices

=         Purchasing additional direct intercom phones and programming these to reach the entire building in emergency

=         Voluntary unarmed Self-Defense staff training

=         Various emergency response trainings

=         Select active law enforcement officers approved to carry concealed weapons on campus at any time

=         Previous to 2018 items incorporated included: Ongoing staff training, ongoing anti-bullying efforts, MARCS Radios installed in each building, security cameras and electronic buzzer systems for each building, 100 security cameras installed and/or updated in buildings and around campus, installed multi-camera systems on school buses, emergency medical kits in all classrooms and specified locations, buzzer lock systems in ES, MS, HS, etc.

As we have shared before, the very best deterrent is many situations is forging and maintaining strong relationships and communications with staff, students, and parents; addressing mental health and behavioral issues, dealing with any bullying behavior immediately, as well as providing additional counseling supports for students and families as provided with existing staff, Catholic Charities, ANAZAO, families, and local clergy.  The grants we have received for these counseling agencies to work with our students most in need in all of our school buildings through Wayne County JFS through Title XX funds as approved by the Wayne County Commissioners has been a much needed additional support for our children each of the past 4 years.  Adding Family Life Counseling, The Counseling Center, Goodwill Industries, other agencies with professional supports, along with internal professional development, DARE Program with an excellent SRO, and student education for our children are the best possible deterrent for internal threats.  As far as external threats the (SRO) School Resource Officer is the best safety measure we can incorporate.