State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman announced at River Springs Elementary School that the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) will purchase and distribute over $33 million worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies to all eighty one public school districts to support efforts to maintain and return to face to face instruction.
Cadillac, Michigan Area Public Schools (CAPS) close to a half a million dollars to enhance training and physical security measures for school safety and security.
Previously, school districts dealt with securing their systems at both the district and school level. But now, teaching, learning and working are all happening at home simultaneously. It’s messy, far more complicated, and gives our cyber and IT teams significantly less control over networks and security than there was when traditional in-school learning was the norm. It’s especially crucial we keep our security measures tight, even if it feels like an uphill battle.
The Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) announced nearly $50 million in school safety funding through its School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). SVPP provides up to 75% funding for school safety measures in and around primary and secondary schools and school grounds.
The School Safety Task Force will review the role of School Resource Officers and present recommendations to further the District’s policy goals of implementing all elements of restorative practices to ensure equitable and safe inclusive schools.
As businesses and schools seek to bring people back to brick and mortar establishments, it’s going to be important to make customers, students and teachers feel comfortable, in addition to simply following guidelines. Customers are going to have to feel that it’s worth going out, versus shopping on-line. For retailers, that comfort might in part be derived from visible occupancy monitoring efforts and automated voice-down messages when people aren’t wearing masks or keeping their distance.
There's a new tip line in Wisconsin for anyone who wants to report a school safety concern or threat. Funded by a $2 million federal grant, the Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center was created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and is available 24/7.
The American Academy of Pediatrics warns that realistic active shooter drills can unnecessarily traumatize children and that schools should stop running them or carefully plan for their needs.
During an emergency special meeting, members of the Detroit Federation of Teachers (DFT) voted to authorize a potential safety strike aimed at pressing the Detroit, Mich. Public Schools Community District to implement basic science-based safety protocols before schools reopen during the continuing coronavirus pandemic.
