18
Wednesday, December 16, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
SAFETY: Schools must
plan for an array of
potential problems
Continued from page 1
“Schools cannot provide a
quality education without an
element of safety,” Dorn says.
“Statistically, schools are still
one of the safest places to be.”
Given the times, when
many discuss school safety
the first thought is how to pre-
pare for an “active shooter”
situation. In reality, there
are many safety issues our
schools work through to have
a prepared staff and student
body. Students and staff par-
ticipate in monthly fire drills;
quarterly earthquake drills;
lockdown drills and oth-
ers. All types of risk require
plans — and a District safety
committee meets monthly to
discuss current and potential
issues.
Staff have plans in place
for slips, falls, and inclem-
ent weather; minor and major
accidents; dangerous animals
on property; protecting stu-
dents from child predators;
and even understanding the
intricacies of custody battles.
The High Desert ESD rep-
resents all school districts in
Deschutes and Crook coun-
ties. A regional collective
known as the Safe Schools
Alliance convened by High
Desert ESD is made up of
over 40 agencies that come
together, and develop strate-
gies and plans for all types of
incidents within local school
districts.
“Any major incident will
require multiple agencies
working together and Central
Oregon does a great job of
fostering and maintaining
those relationships already,”
says Dorn.
It’s not just about having
the newest and best equip-
ment — although it is ideal
that schools keep up with
the technology available to
private-sector entities. It’s
about developing and imple-
menting training for staff so
people know how to use the
tools that are made available
to them.
Currently the schools in
Sisters have a variety of safety
protocols at each building. All
visitors are funneled through
the main entrance at each
building working to create a
contained entry corridor and
are required to check-in at the
office. Veronda McConville,
the lead secretary at Sisters
Elementary School, is one of
the first to greet students and
parents every day.
“It’s so important that par-
ents sign in when they come
to the building,” she says.
“It’s our best way of knowing
who is here and having con-
tact with the kids. We want to
make sure we have eyes on
the door at all times. I’ve been
known to chase people down
in the commons area and ask
them to come back and sign
in at the front counter. It takes
a village to make our schools
work – and everyone in our
community is a part of that
village.”
The exteriors of each
building have other doors
and gates locked to secure
the perimeter and protect
occupants.
The District has plans for
increasing security as funds
become available. New secu-
rity features would include
upgrading and replacing
doors and door hardware as
needed at each of the schools
and implementing a video
surveillance system.
“The hardware we would
like to install takes the
human element out of lock-
ing down the schools,” says
Bliss. “We would be able to
set all the doors up on a timer
to ensure proper opening
and closing procedures both
on a daily basis and during
emergencies.”
During Dorn’s walk-
through with Bliss, he noted
that even though some of the
schools are older there were
no significant hazards which
would required an immediate
fix.
“Everything we discussed,
including enhancing the hard-
ware, is setup for multi-use,”
says Dorn. “Not only would
new hardware on doors help
with security, but it will also
help prevent damage to the
doors, resulting in less main-
tenance costs. These are long-
term solutions.”
In addition to the person-
nel at the front office, there is
a dedicated school resource
deputy (SRD) provided to the
District from the Deschutes
County Sheriff ’s Office.
Officer Brent Crosswhite is
a community-based deputy
who is responsible for helping
schools ensure student safety.
SRDs become a part of the
school community, and focus
on early intervention. They
attend a variety of school
functions including sport-
ing events and performances
in order to be available for
students.
Deputy Crosswhite works
with school administrators to
prevent crimes before they
happen and develop positive
relationships with students
and staff members.
“Deputy Crosswhite’s
office is at the high school,”
says McConville. “The school
resource deputies have always
been good about sitting down
with students at every school
and talking with them if there
are issues that come up.”
Much like Crosswhite
developing relationships,
Dorn thinks of security as a
customer-service business.
He noted that the culture of
the Sisters School District,
with increased parent and
community involvement, is
important in keeping students
safe.
Dorn works at schools
around the country and knows
that the level of engagement
seen in Sisters schools is not
common in other areas.
“Classes that require stu-
dents to apply themselves,
like your (Sisters High
School’s) guitar-building
class, keeps students engaged
in school,” says Dorn. “When
students want to be at school
there are less fights and less
instances of vandalism. You
can’t buy a culture like that.”
Parents often wonder how
they can support the staff with
safety and security of stu-
dents. Dorn recommends the
best way: following District
policies regarding entering
and exiting the building or
picking up or dropping off
students. If you have a child
in the schools remember to
have your contact informa-
tion up to date in case of
emergencies.
“It’s hard to say the best
thing to do is to follow the
rules,” Dorn says. “But that’s
the truth. It’s easier for school
personnel to do their job
when parents and community
members do theirs.”
Signing in when com-
ing into the school is just as
important as signing your
child out. McConville notes,
“If children aren’t checked
out from the front office
(when leaving early) and we
have a fire or lockdown emer-
gency – that child is marked
as missing. No one wants a
missing child.”
If there is an emergency
or crisis at one of the schools,
the best thing for parents and
guardians to do is wait. Wait
for more information from
the school or the lead agency
responding to the incident.
If parents rush to the school
it makes it difficult for emer-
gency personnel to access the
areas they need to. In some
instances students may be
bused to another location for
parent pick-up as well.
In a real sense, learn-
ing safety is a big part of
education.
“Doing the safety drills
and preparing students and
staff for emergencies is pre-
paring them for life,” says
Dorn. “You never know
where you may be when
there is an emergency; it’s
our job to help prepare
kids on how to respond no
matter where they are.”
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