Safety within schools was the central focus for USD 253 Emporia Board of Education members during their regular board meeting Wednesday evening.
This included a debrief of the lockdown situation as several district buildings – Emporia High School, Emporia Middle School, Village Elementary School and USD 253 Transitions – as well as Flint Hills Technical College after a student allegedly brought a BB gun to EHS on March 29. USD 253 Director of Human Resources Jared Giffin presented the debrief and says there were several takeaways from the incident, namely a large sense of pride in how building staff, security and local law enforcement responded.
USD 253 Board President Leslie Seeley agreed saying all of those involved responded tremendously to what was a terrifying situation.
While staff responded admirably to the situation, the district did receive a large level of criticism for a number of reasons, namely a perceived lack of communication with district patrons and families. Administration was also criticized for not locking down Timmerman Elementary School or the Flint Hills Learning Center during the situation.
Giffin says those are understandable concerns and emphasized a need to reinforce within building staff that they “are the decision makers” when it comes to crisis situations. As for the communication aspect, Giffin says the district did not want to put out information that was rapidly changing and risk causing more panic.
That being said, there were some families who never received any form of correspondence even after the situation was resolved and there were concerns expressed about a technical “snafu” where the EHS school bell and intercom system overlapped leading to many inside the building not hearing the initial lockdown announcement. Giffin says both issues are concerning, but easily resolved.
Also Wednesday, Giffin noted the district is looking into potential grant options that would assist in that endeavor.
USD 253 Emporia Board President Leslie Seeley says while it is important for the district to research all options available, she also believes it is important for parents and students to have an open dialogue on crisis situations and develop a personal plan for how to respond to them.
Wednesday’s debrief followed a previously planned presentation by SafeDefend, a company which provides a company that connects different law enforcement and emergency teams to the district in the event of crisis situations. SafeDefend National Accounts Manager Dan Cole says the majority of security systems are either proactive or reactionary.
He noted the SafeDefend helps buildings be prepared for the event of a crisis situation while also providing the tools to accurately and efficiently respond in the event a crisis were to develop. Additionally, Cole claims the system’s implementation alone can act as a deterrent for those who may look to commit violence against others.
USD 253 Emporia Board Member Jeremy Dorsey says he sees the advantages of the system, however, he believes financing it could present a challenge.
According to Cole, SafeDefend has been implemented in 300 campuses across 10 states including USD 252 Southern Lyon County which approved the installation of the system last fall. No decision on the implementation of SafeDefend has been made at this time.
In separate business Wednesday night, board members:
*Received the regular Building for the Future construction update from McCownGordon.
*Approved a nearly $120,000 resurfacing of the Emporia High School track.
*Approved bids for fixtures and equipment at Emporia Middle School and Village Elementary School.
*Approved a more than $140,000 purchase of Chromebooks for incoming freshmen.
*Approved a job description for a childcare provider to oversee a new program for district employees.
*Held a first reading for various policy updates.
The USD 253 Emporia Board of Education will next convene on Wednesday, April 26 at 6 pm inside of the Mary Herbert Education Center.
