York Town News
From the superintendent's desk…
Safety in our schools
By Dr. Henry R. Scipione
Superintendent of Schools
Dr. Henry R. Scipione
When we hear about a new shooting we are upset, sad and angry that this could happen. We ask, "Why didn't anyone know? Why wasn't the shooter stopped? Could we have done more as a community? Will it happen in our schools?" These are questions we all ask when we hear about the tragedy of a school shooting. We grieve for those injured or killed by these acts. We think about our children and we ask what is being done to protect them from a similar situation.
We must take the necessary measures to protect students and staff from the possibility of an intruder and/or a shooter. The challenge is to have the safety interventions be reasonable and appropriate. In the York Schools we have taken measures to protect our students. Some of the measures we have taken in our schools are evident and some are 'behind the scenes.' Single entrance to our elementary and middle schools, security check-in and out of all visitors, staff ID cards, and visual checks before release for our younger students are examples of a number of more evident measures.
Some of our 'behind the scenes' measures include practiced lock-down procedures at each school. Students are instructed on how to respond when an intruder enters the building or when an emergency exists. Crisis teams of trained adults are in place in all our schools to respond to an immediate threat. Selected staff members are equipped with radios and they monitor entrances and exits. Cameras, some visible and some not, monitor the interior and exterior of YHS. We have direct radio connection with York police and we have a strong relationship with the York Police Department on school safety issues. We have the capacity to remotely communicate between schools in the event of an emergency. Evacuation plans and relocation sites are in place for all schools. Safety plans are regularly updated and adjusted to address changing local and national occurrences. Background checks are conducted on all school employees. These are examples of some of the actions we have taken that are less visible to a visitor to our schools.
All of these steps and others that are in place are important and must be part of our everyday routine. It is the norm for schools today. Unfortunate … maybe, but it is necessary. We must be responsible to provide a level of security that protects our students.
There is, however, one more action we take to protect our students and it is perhaps the most important action we can take as a school and as a community. That action is to deeply know and understand our students. We need to know when they are dealing with crisis issues and then have immediate interventions and supports for them. Parents especially need to be diligent in monitoring their children for signs of changing behaviors and to act before a crisis happens. Communicating with families is critical when a situation exists because we need to understand what is happening so we can support the student during difficult times. We try to provide an adult relationship with all students where they can report a concern about another student or where one student can report a concern about another student. It is critical to have a trust level sufficient for students to come to a trusted adult. Students need to feel connected and feel that they belong. Overall we need to provide a school community that is supportive and truly cares for the wellbeing of our students. The greatest strength we can have in preventing this type of violence is knowing our student body and recognizing their ability to help each other deal with a crisis.
We continue to make our schools open and welcoming. We want our parents and our community to feel that our schools welcome them. Our goal is to create the openness within a structure that protects our students and staff. We hope we are succeeding.
