Fulton Focus
For the parents and patrons of the Fulton School District
September 13, 2019
A message from the Superintendent
Dear Parents and Patrons,
The fight at Fulton High School, Thursday, September 12 was an unfortunate incident. Our FHS Commons provided an area for two groups to carry their neighborhood conflict to a public place. Information regarding injuries and consequences remain as stated in Thursday’s correspondence.
Questions have been asked regarding the time period parents and others were notified of the incident. Any incident involving student safety creates panic with parents, and throughout the district and community. District emergency protocol is:
Call 911
Ensure student safety
Secure the facility
Deal with the disruption
Notify parents
Follow up as needed
Items 1 through 3 happen quickly, item 4 depends on emergency services, type of incident, and potential injuries and takes more time to have reasonably accurate information to share. The Administration prefers to provide substantiated information; however, many community members and media receive initial notice of an incident from police scanners and student text messaging.
Various law enforcement agencies were on-site in approximately 3 minutes. We applaud their efforts! Ninety-Nine percent of FHS students followed instructions and were secure in various classrooms. Even though I believe District Emergency protocols were followed, Fulton Police Chief Myers and I have reviewed initial processes and District/Building Administrators will also be reviewing procedures.
Ultimately your student(s)’ initial safety depends upon the skill and training of our classroom teachers and building administrators! Hence, the reason all staff participates in various drills throughout the year and annual active shooter training.
Safe Fulton schools are expected and student/staff safety is a daily priority!
Thank you for sending great students to work with every day!
Sincerely,
Jacque A. Cowherd, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Information on Suicide Curriculum
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, pursuant to Section 170.048, RSMo, developed a model policy for suicide awareness and prevention. All school districts had to have a policy in place by July 1, 2018. One of the components of this policy is starting no later than fifth grade, students will receive age-appropriate information and instruction on suicide awareness and prevention.
Fulton Public School Counselors will be presenting information to students about mental health, well-being and suicide prevention and awareness during the month of October. The curriculum at the 5th-grade level will be about being safe, how to handle situations when they feel someone is not being safe and how to talk to a trusted adult. Middle school and high school lessons will address the following topics at an age-appropriate level:
Promotion of a climate that encourages peer referral and which emphasizes school connectedness.
Recognition of the signs that they or peers are at risk for suicide.
Identification of issues that may lead to suicide including depression, anxiety, anger, and drug/alcohol dependency.
Directive to not make promises of confidence when they are concerned about peer suicide.
Identification of a trusted adult on campus with whom students can discuss concerns about suicide.
If you would like to review the suicide curriculum for a particular grade level or if you have questions about your child’s participation or would prefer your child not participate in the curriculum, please contact your child’s school counselor by September 30th.
Information: Fulton Mental Health Screening 2019-2020
The Fulton Public School’s District School Mental Health Team will be conducting a voluntary district-wide mental health screening this fall. The purpose of the screening is to identify social-emotional supports to help all Fulton students be successful. All information collected through the screening will be kept confidential. Screening tools are not diagnostic. Rather, screening data will be used to identify students who may benefit from additional assessment or supports for emotional or behavioral problems. As part of the screening process, teachers in all buildings will complete a brief assessment of students’ social, academic, and emotional behavior. Students in grades 3-12 will also complete a brief behavioral self-assessment. Participation in the screening is completely voluntary: parents or guardians may notify their building counselor if they do not want their child to participate by September 30th.
Why screen? Fulton School District is committed to helping all students be successful at school. The district already provides a variety of emotional and behavioral supports. Conducting a social-emotional health screening gives Fulton School District one more tool to best serve young people in this community. Screening data can help identify students who may need additional help and allows for earlier identification of possible problems. The screening also provides a snapshot of current social-emotional needs of students in the district to inform ongoing improvement efforts.
What screeners will be used? Teachers in all buildings will complete the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS) for students in their classroom. Teachers at Fulton Education Center will complete the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DEKA) for FPS preschool students in their classroom. Students in grades 3-12 will complete a self-report measure called the MySAEBRS.
Is the screening mandatory? No. Parents/guardians can request for their child not to participate in the screening process.
When and where will the screening take place? Teachers will complete the screeners during regularly-scheduled, district professional development in October. Students in grades 3-12 will complete the screeners in the fall and spring for progress monitoring. The first screener will be given in October. Screeners will be completed online.
How long does the screening take? It is estimated that teachers will spend about 20-35 minutes completing the screening tool for students in their classroom. The self-report measure takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Where will the data be stored? Teachers and youth will complete the screeners online, so data from the screeners will also be saved in a secure file.
Who will have access to the results? Screening results will be used to identify Fulton students who may benefit from further assessment or supports. School personnel, including teachers, school counselors, teachers, and/or staff, will have access to student data. Results will be de-identified and shared more broadly at the district level to inform ongoing planning and improvement efforts.
Up-to-Date 2019 Homecoming Information
Important Dates
Friday, September 27 -- Fall Homecoming, Dismiss 90 minutes early
Monday, October 7--NO SCHOOL-- Professional Development Day
Wednesday, October 9 -- Board of Education Meeting 7 p.m. FHS Library
Thursday, October 30 -- Facilities Community Forum--6 p.m. FMS
Friday, November 1 -- NO SCHOOL
Monday, November 4--NO SCHOOL-- Professional Development Day
Wednesday, November 13 -- Board of Education Meeting 7 p.m. FHS Library
Wednesday, November 27 - Friday, November 29--Thanksgiving Break
Monday, December 9 --NO SCHOOL-- Professional Development Day
Wednesday, December 11-- Board of Education Meeting 7 p.m. FHS Library
Monday, December 23 -- Friday, January 3 -- Winter Break
Monday, January 6 --NO SCHOOL-- Professional Development Day
Tuesday, January 7 - Classes Resume for 2nd Semester
Fulton Public Schools
Email: ksnethen@fulton58.org
Website: www.fulton58.org
Location: 2 Hornet Drive, Fulton, MO
Phone: 573-590-8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FPSHornets
Twitter: @FPSHornets