Montrose - Daily Press

Kati O’Hare

Daily Press Writer

MONTROSE — Over the years, schools have had the challenge to make the place of education also a place of safety.

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Recent events have put school safety back into the spotlight. Memories of Columbine were conjured up again with the school shooting in Bailey where a gunman took six female students hostage before killing one of them. Following that, an Amish school shooting in Pennsylvania left five girls dead.

At Tuesday’s school board meeting, Re-J1 school district spokeswoman, Linda Gann, reviewed the school safety practices such as I.D. badges for staff, perimeter safety checklists and cameras on school buses.

“Schools are still the safest place for kids,” Gann said.

She said there are current safety measures already in place. In every room, in every school, there is an emergency procedure flip-chart that contains guidance and strategies that are helpful in emergency cases, like a fallen aircraft or kidnapping.

There is also an emergency management plan in the district office and in every principal’s office. The plan is designed around the specific school and is reviewed by the principal and teachers of that school each year and updated.

“That’s a given every fall to go through,” Montrose High School Principal Jill Myer said. She said the review session lets new teachers know the procedures and is a reminder for the rest of the staff.

The main office is also equipped with emergency warning radios and staff is trained in their use. The All-hazard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration radios receivers broadcast National Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day.

The district is also in the process of getting I.D. badges to all school employees. Employees that transfer between school and school bus drivers have badges, but Gann said they are waiting for some of the badges to be finished. All 900 employees are expected to have badges by Dec. 1.

“The idea is we’re getting larger ... the town is growing and so are schools and we need to have an identifier,” Gann said. The badges have been in the works since August and because of recent events, Gann wants to use school staff photos to speed up the process.

All doors, except main entrances and monitored doors, are locked at all times. There are a few exceptions because of building additions, but Jason Arebalos, Re-1J property services supervisor, said they are working on those locations. Keypad locks have been put on a few of the doors so only someone with the correct card can enter, and even then the doors are regulated by timers.

All visitors to the school are now directed to the main entrance where they must check in and carry a visitor’s badge. Teachers have been instructed to ask questions to anyone without identification or who looks suspicious.

The two security officers at the high school also monitor the hallways and parking lots. Security cameras have been placed around schools and in buses to monitor activity.

There is a resource officer at the high school and at Centennial and Columbine middle schools.

“They are a really good resource,” Myer said. She said the officers build rapport with students, so they can talk to them about problems. The officers talk to classes about safety and deal with legal issues within the school.

School board treasurer, James Schwoebel, pointed out during the meeting the importance of “human intelligence,” saying kids should also be educated so they can report any questionable behavior or talk.

Myer said during homeroom, high school teachers discussed the importance of reporting questionable statements or behavior, so they can be dealt with right away.

Arebalos and Barbara Hunt, Re-1J risk benefit coordinator, met two weeks ago to review safety and emergency procedures. Hunt is currently in the process of assessing the outside of all the buildings via a “school safety audit checklist.”

The checklist was created to assess the school’s current level of safety related to buildings and grounds. Gann said the audits will then be reviewed by proper law enforcement to see what changes need to be made.

The checklist looks at the location of the school, visual surveillance, lighting and locks, among other things.

Hunt said she is also going to asses the communication within the schools, making sure fire alarms and security announcements can be heard. All fire drills and lock downs are required to be reported. Myer said the high school practices lock-down procedures with local fire and police departments once a month.

Gann said they have also trained teachers to be aware of warning signs in areas such as school writing assignments or art work.

Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com

Comments

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Sarah Bond wrote on Jul 13, 2009 5:31 PM:

" It really makes me sick that people lie about certain events to make themselves look better than they really are... Just to set the record straight, one of those stories is extremely false. Email me if you want the real story from the person who was actually there. "




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