Technology and staff provide school safety, superintendents sayDate: 6/2/2022 GREATER SPRINGFIELD – With school shootings once again in the forefront of people’s minds due to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Reminder Publishing reached out to local superintendents to discuss school safety precautions.
There are several precautions that are universal in local school districts, including locked doors, staff who confirm identities and cameras. The cameras are used to identify people at the front doors before they are allowed inside.
Staff Are Line of Defense
Gina Kahn, director of Safe Schools/Healthy Students in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District (HWRSD), said the definition of an intruder is “anyone who is not complying with the visitor policy.” When a person comes to the door and presses the buzzer, a member of the office staff will ask who they are and why they are there.
East Longmeadow Public Schools (ELPS) Superintendent Gordon Smith said, “The nice thing with a smaller school system is the staff know families. It’s impressive,” how many families the front office staff know. The staff should crosscheck the name of the visitor with people who have business at the school. They visitor is then buzzed in and asked to come straight to the office.
A Birchland Park Middle School parent recently posted a comment in a community group on Facebook, concerned that she was able to walk around the school after being buzzed in, without having to report to the office.
“Things always need to be reviewed and improved upon where possible,” Smith acknowledged. “We always look at events and every situation is unique.”
In Longmeadow, there are “visitor entrance protocols, designated visitor-entry points, ID-badged door access technology and a growing fleet of cameras covering main entrances and other critical areas in each school building,” Longmeadow Public Schools (LPS) Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said in a communication with the LPS community in the wake of the Uvalde shooting.
Technology
The HWRSD school district is piloting a newer technology to verify people’s identification. Visitors must put their IDs in a device, where it is scanned, and a criminal background check is run. The person’s visitor ID badge is then generated with the individual’s name and information on it.
HWRSD Superintendent Albert Ganem said the technology is being used in other districts and is expected to be employed in all HWRSD schools at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.
School Resource Officers
Each of the districts also uses one or more school resource officers (SROs), police officers who are trained to work in schools and whose primary goal is fostering good relationships with youth and families. However, in an emergency, these officers can act to protect students and staff.
In Longmeadow, the SRO spends time in the high school and both middle schools. In HWRSD, one SRO is based at the high school and another at Green Meadows School. The two travel between all six schools in the district. East Longmeadow’s SRO is based at the high school and travels to each school. Because they travel, SROs are not guaranteed to be on site if an emergency occurs.
Districts also use safety teams and emergency preparedness plans. O’Shea said, “A safety team consisting of LPS administration, [Longmeadow Police Department], Longmeadow Fire Department, and Longmeadow [Department of Public Works] meets several times throughout the year on matters relating to emergency preparedness and response.”
Community Help
In Hampden and Wilbraham, school campuses are closed to the public during the school day. Ganem said the policy became lax during the coronavirus pandemic, when students were learning remotely. People would use the athletic fields or walk their dogs around campus. Since students have been back in-person, however, the district is again enforcing the policy.
“That’s how the community can help,” said Kahn. “We have no way of knowing,” who people are that are walking on the campuses.
“It’s a fine line,” Ganem said of balancing security and an inviting learning environment. “We’re trying to keep our kids safe.” Kahn added, “There really is no higher priority.”
Kahn said families can also help by keeping their contact information up to date with the district and using the “see-something-say-something” practice.
O’Shea told families, “We are partners in keeping our schools and our community safe. Everyone is encouraged to share observations and concerns relating to school safety. Children should always be encouraged to seek out a trusted adult if they have concerns or are worried about their safety or the safety of others.”
LPS has an anonymous reporting system which can be used by students in Grades 6-12 and other adult members of the LPS community to anonymously report on threats to student safety.” People can contact 1-844-5-SAYNOW with concerns. There is also an app available. To learn more, visit https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/say-something-tips.
Talking with Students
Talking to students about school shootings is delicate. While some people want the schools to address the issue with students, Ganem said, “some families don’t want it discussed in class.” He said the district must respect the feelings of parents. “The number one person to teach our kids is our parents.”
“While no specific discussions are planned in Grades K-8, we will be prepared to assist students who need additional support. At the high school level, structured conversations may take place and counselors and psychologists will be available as the need arises,” Ganem told families in a communication after Texas shooting.
Kahn explained that students can talk to teachers during morning meetings or advisory periods, if needed. Teachers and staff would reinforce the safety procedures in place or talk about “what to do when you’re anxious or afraid.”
Meanwhile, Kahn said, the schools are keeping an eye out for students who are struggling with the feelings and stress school violence may cause.
“We always want to partner with families and help in any way. We’re all going through that is hard and, unfortunately, can happen anywhere in the world,” Smith said, adding that “supporting each other” is “how we’re going to get through this, together.”
For information on what schools and parents can do to help keep students safe and talk to them about active shooter situations, visit the National Association of School Psychologists’ website at www.nasponline.org.
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