KSD3 News
Weekly Update from Superintendent Wendy Johnson
12/16/2022
In this update:
- Keeping kids safe from harm
- π Monday's school board report details on March bond, Capital Plan & more
- πLawmakers visit Swan Falls, listen to needs of school districts
- β‘οΈ Mark your calendars for Jan. 26
- π¦ Food distribution Monday
- ποΈ Looking ahead in our schools
- π Community Events & Activities
Keeping kids safe from harm
Kuna families,
Part of who we are as a district is to be transparent and share information even when it is difficult and uncomfortable.
Last week, we were shocked by the arrest of a Kuna Middle School teacher and horrified as we learned limited details of the charges of heinous acts against a child. Please know we share your sense of betrayal when terrible things happen to children. All kids deserve to be safe from harm.
Our team works with children because we care about helping them become the best version of themselves so they are prepared for the future.
We have had parents ask questions about the safeguards we have in place, and I thought I would share these safeguards with all of you.
Before we hire anyone, we require all individuals to pass a criminal background check.
We complete a thorough screening with each candidateβs previous employers.
We have School Resource Officers in our schools and a strong partnership with the Ada County Sheriffβs office.
We use an online system called Bark to monitor all electronic communications for potential issues.
We require staff to participate in mandatory training each year.
We set the expectation that contact with students outside the school day is limited to specific purposes: sports, activities, etc. -- and not one-on-one.
We set the same limits on communication with our students.
We share with students and staff that they should always report something to an administrator or counselor that doesnβt seem right or any behavior that makes them uncomfortable.
On our website, we share the proper procedures for contacting us if parents/guardians have concerns.
Do these safeguards actually work? Yes, they help us see and protect our students from potential harm that is known.
Our pre-hire processes identify known concerns with individuals and weed out applicants who should not work with children.
Bark, an online monitoring tool, helps us identify some bullying, threats of harm to self and others, and other worrisome behavior. (Bark is available for families to use, too.)
Appropriate relationships and communication with our students are the norms for our team.
As recent events illustrate, however, our safeguards are not enough. They donβt provide us with a crystal ball to predict criminal behavior or to see what is hidden or kept secret.
For behavior that is hidden or kept secret, we depend on everyone, especially parents, to help us.
Some quick tips or actions you can take as a parent:
Tell your child to trust their instincts if they do not feel comfortable or are scared around someone and teach them the power of βnoβ if they are asked to keep a secret or do something that they do not want to do.
Tell your child what to do in an uncomfortable situation and what they should never do.
Designate trusted adults that your child can turn to for help.
Teach your child about boundaries.
Check your childβs phone and social media routinely.
Check your childβs school email and personal email.
Notify the school if your child is receiving emails or any other messages without your knowledge.
Routinely ask your child about their interactions at school with other students, with teachers and staff, and about what they are learning. Update your school administrator about anything concerning.
Keeping kids safe from harm requires all of us - educators, families, and community members - to unite around our shared goal to protect children.
π Monday's school board report details on March bond, Capital Plan & more
Please look for your school board member's update Monday. I wanted to give you some quick information from their meeting last Tuesday.
First, thank you to our Capital Plan Task Force members for their work during the past year. They brought the school board a well thought out and updated plan for the next 10 years.
On March 14, voters will consider funding for the first projects to add more learning spaces for students.
Our Board is concerned about our taxpayers and has adopted a plan that won't increase the bond rate.
We also will stick to our commitment not to ask our property owners for taxes when we can use other funds. This means we plan to use some one-time federal funds to cover the costs paid for by our $2.5 million Levy for Learning in 2023-24.
The chart below shows what we project the tax rate to be in 2024 if the bond is approved and without the Levy for Learning.
If you would like to help share information about the March 14 bond, please use this link to sign up.
Again look for more information in your trustee's newsletter and in the new year!
π Lawmakers visit Swan Falls, listen to needs of school districts
Earlier this week, Swan Falls High School hosted a meeting for Treasure Valley legislators and school district superintendents to discuss issues impacting education. We loved showing off our school and appreciate the following lawmakers for making time to attend during a very busy time for them: Rep. Steve Berch, Rep. Judy Boyle, Rep. Melissa Durrant, Rep. Jacyn Gallagher, Rep. Tina Lambert, Rep. Chris Mathias, Rep. Lauren Necochea, Rep. James Petzke, Sen. Rick Just, Sen. Chris Trakel, and Sen. Melissa Wintrow.
We are grateful to Representative Melissa Durrant who spent some extra time in the district at our invitation to meet with educators, parents, and school board members. Rep. Durrant has been very active in our schools for many years, and we are so glad to have her serving as the representative for District 23.
β‘οΈ Mark your calendars for Jan. 26
Our Superintendent's Advisory Council will host another event for our parents in January. Information is posted below. Child care will be available as well as community groups with resources for families about youth mental health.
π¦ Food distribution Monday
ποΈ Looking ahead in our schools
- Dec. 19 - FMS/KMS Winter Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m.
- Dec. 20 - Fremont Middle School Winter Concert, 6 p.m.
- Dec. 22 - KHS Basketball camp
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 4 - Christmas Vacation
- Jan. 4 - Staff return to district for professional development day
- Jan. 5 - Students return to school
- Jan. 6 - KHS Alumni/Matt Scanlon Night at Boise Varsity BB game
- Jan. 10 - Kuna Board of Trustees meeting
- Jan. 16 - No School Martin Luther King/Idaho Human Rights Day
- Jan. 19 - Early release Kuna High, Swan Falls, Kuna Middle & Fremont Middle - End of 1st Semester Finals
- Jan. 20 - Early release Kuna High, Swan Falls, Kuna Middle & Fremont Middle - End of 1st Semester Finals
- Jan. 23 - Superintendent's Advisory Council, 6 p.m. Indian Creek Elementary School