In the Loop - Safety Edition
March 8, 2018
TRUSSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS
Email: sandra.vernon@trussvillecityschools.com
Website: www.trussvillecityschools
Location: 113 North Chalkville Road, Trussville, AL, United States
Phone: 205-228-3000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Trussvilleschools
Twitter: @tcshuskies
Pictured left to right: Sgt. Ken Findley, Mayor Buddy Choat, School Superintendent Dr. Pattie Neill and Police Chief Jeff Bridges
TCS School Safety Message
School safety is of paramount importance. This special edition of In the Loop has been developed to reassure our community that the school system and the city are continuously working together to monitor safety measures for each of our schools. A new safety review team has been formed to review reports of school violence in our state and our country. Details from these reports provide reflection points to make local improvements for our school system. This is in addition to our System-wide Safety Planning Committee required by the State.
While we are one of the safest cities with one of the best school districts in the state, it is important to our community that we are vigilant in maintaining a secure environment. This takes everyone working together every day, and we want you to know we are constantly updating and revising school safety measures.
The City of Trussville and the Trussville Police department generously provide support for the SRO Program for Trussville City Schools and we are ahead of many school districts in our overall safety plan. All Trussville City Schools have an SRO on campus as well as an SRO who rotates among the schools, plus other regular police officer support offered proactively by the Trussville PD. We appreciate our SRO’s and we are thankful for their protection and presence in our schools.
If you heard Governor Ivey’s press conference this week, the state is focusing on crisis prevention and preparation. There is a national focus to be responsible gun owners and report mental health issues. Based on this information, we have categorized our local safety elements into three categories: Prevention, Preparation, and Parent Assistance.
PREVENTION STRATEGIES IN TRUSSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS: The following safety prevention strategies exist in Trussville City Schools with the help of the City and the Trussville Police Department:
SRO’s in all schools
Random visits from Police K-9 unit
Intruder Drills
Switch Drills
Active Shooter Training
Code of Conduct procedures
Bullying prevention strategies and Character Education
Threat assessment protocol
Double entry lock system at each front door
No students or classes in portable buildings
Increased Police Patrols on the Perimeter
Security Camera systems
After the last safety review meeting, the double entry lock system was implemented at Cahaba Elementary. In addition, a double entry system with lock changes is in progress for Hewitt-Trussville Middle School.
***Please note that there are additional measures in place that are not disclosed to ensure the security of our students, faculty and staff.
PREPARATION - Governor Ivey has encouraged school systems to review preparation strategies in the event of a crisis:
System-wide Safety Planning Team
School level Crisis Team
Emergency Kits
Rescue & Recovery Plans
Coordination with City and TCS
School Counselors, Ministers and Psychologists on call to help with mental health
PARENT ASSISTANCE – A message from Dr. Neill and Chief Bridges:
We ask parents to help with 1) reporting perceived mental health concerns, 2) be responsible gun owners, 3) review the use of threats in the Student Code of Conduct, and 4) monitor TV programming, digital devices and home computers.
If you know someone in the community that may have a mental health issue, please report this to proper authorities. Student issues may be reported to their school counselor. Adequate mental health services are believed to be lacking in our society because warning signs have been discovered after a tragic event occurred. For more information: https://www.nami.org/Find-Support/NAMI-HelpLine
If you are a gun owner, please lock/secure your gun in a safe place, not accessible to anyone other than an authorized user. Gun locks are available at Trussville PD, free of charge.
Please remind your students not to use threatening words such as “gun, shoot, bomb, kill, etc. TCS and TPD take all threats seriously and follow the Student Code of Conduct and criminal code for these discipline reports. Threats will be enforced as a Class III or Class IV discipline infraction with law enforcement following the Code of Alabama.
Please monitor your student’s cellphones and devices and ask questions about their online identity, their online activity, and monitor their messages for inappropriate content. Also, please be mindful of TV program choices with violent subject matter. TV choices should be age appropriate for your child.
In closing, please know that safety and security are foremost in the minds of your City and School System leaders. Providing our students with a quality education in a SAFE environment is our first priority.
Sincerely,
Pattie Neill, Superintendent
Chief Jeff Bridges, TPD
Mayor Buddy Choat
Board President Sid McNeal