Superintendent addresses school safety concerns

Dear 27J Families,

Given recent events in our schools, community and nation, we understand the concern parents feel when sending their child to school. There are reminders and new information online and on TV every minute of the day. Even on your personal social media, you’re likely to hear rumors and fears. That constant access to information and people increases the likelihood that people are spreading inaccurate or misleading information. That rapid avalanche of scary information will cause any parent to worry about their child’s safety at school. 

I’m a dad with two daughters. I know how this feels and what your concerns are. Sometimes it feels like you’re not given every detail about situations at your school. I can assure you we are not trying to keep things from parents or to sweep anything under the carpet. We want you to know as much as possible so you can continue to be a supportive safety partner for your school and child. 

I’m also confident in the safety systems 27J has put into our schools and the people entrusted with using new tools and plans to keep the school safe. Let me tell you why.

1. We take every report seriously. Anytime we hear a report of a threat or law enforcement receives a Safe2Tell report, we work together to investigate those threats. Police are specially trained to research social media information to determine if a message is a hoax or if it has credibility. Police advise school administration of the validity of such messages and advise the school on any specific actions to be taken. Any student found to have broken any laws, is processed by the police. Any student breaking rules in the student code of conduct face immediate consequences. 
    

2. Our relationships keep us informed. Because we talk and work with many different people in our communities, we hear about a lot of things. Some of those relate to our schools and safety. We share that information with law enforcement and they do the same. We’re constantly evaluating information and taking proactive steps to mitigate any potential threat.
    

3. We train together. Every school has a safety team and the district has one that supports all our schools. The same is true for law enforcement. We train together, we walk through a variety of scenarios and rehearse the best way to respond to various situations. We stay in sync with each other at all times.
    

4. Practice safety plans. Every school has its own safety plan, which is updated yearly. Everyone at school has a role when a safety concern is raised. We practice those situations, and the district supports that work if circumstances warrant it. Our plans are high quality and we put those plans to use. They work.
    

5. Routine safety drills. Our staff and students regularly conduct safety drills for everything from an evacuation to a lockdown.
    

6. 27J added safety personnel to schools. People are the most effective tool to ensure safety at schools. Our teachers, administrators, office staff, counselors, custodians and more are very caring people who take your child’s safety to heart every day. We’ve also added more school safety guards and campus supervisors to schools’ safety teams. Each high school and middle school has at least one School Resource Officer and they work in tandem with SROs from other schools as well as with their police structure throughout the city.
    

7. Schools upgraded safety equipment and features. We’ve installed cameras in more locations, added new security systems at our main entrance, and upgraded our locking and monitoring systems around the school to ensure we’re accountable for the people in our buildings.
    

8. Exterior doors remain locked. Only the main entrance doors are unlocked during the routine school day. In the past, staff and students were able to get into the building from various doors. That’s changed to restrict visitor access to the building.
    

9. Visitors are electronically admitted into school after being screened. Visitors including parents, must show identification and we verify they have a valid reason for coming on campus.
    

10. Improved radio communication. We have better two-way radios that connect 27J staff, school administrators and law enforcement. Our partners and staff can talk to each other in real time making our safety work more effective and efficient. We’ve also expanded the number of people who have radios and are now part of the safety system districtwide.
     

11. Connect mental health and safety. There’s a clear connection between people’s mental health and school safety. We’ve connected those support services and now they work seamlessly in schools with the support of district staff. Schools conduct threat assessments if there’s an indication that a student may be struggling with an issue or need additional support.
     

12. Committed to keeping parents informed. During an emergency, we are committed to keeping parents informed of what’s happening and what we expect to occur. While we don’t have all the information a parent would want, we share what we can without compromising investigations or student safety. We have an Emergency Alert Center on our website (www.sd27J.org/eac) where you can find all the most current safety messages that we’ve sent to parents around the district. They are identified by school so you can tell which ones you should have received.  If you think you may have missed a message, check here to stay informed. Please make sure your contact information is always updated in Infinite Campus or else you’ll miss out on these messages.
     

13. Safe2Tell.org. “If you see something, say something.” That’s what we urge students and parents to do so they report anything that makes them feel unsafe or if they hear of something that could harm their school or peers. They can make reports to any school administrator or anonymously online at Safe2Tell.org or 1-877-542-7233.

Parents are a child’s first and best teacher. Keep communication lines with your child open and active. Talk about what’s happening at school; know their friends and what they’re doing on social media. We want all students to feel safe and comfortable discussing any worries they have.

I’m proud of our safety systems in 27J. While we can’t change some of the ugly realities in our world, we can continuously improve our safety systems and our partnerships to keep your child safe at school. 

Sincerely,

Will Pierce

27J Schools Superintendent