Safety and Security Update
Wednesday, October 19th
Washburne Families,
The safety and security of our students and staff continue to be our top priority throughout the school year. As school leaders, we continually evaluate our practices to determine appropriate action steps to best promote safety. Last spring, the District underwent a security audit during which a number of recommendations were made around ways we can increase the safety and security in our buildings. We are reaching out to you today to inform you of two changes that we will be making for our students beginning on November 2nd based on these recommendations. We always strive to ensure our building is as safe an environment as possible and need to be able to adapt when we learn about improved practices that we can implement. We want all families to have a clear understanding of what changes we are making as well as the reasons behind them.
What Is Changing?
Students will be required to wear a Washburne lanyard with their school ID while on campus.
Students will no longer be allowed to carry their backpacks to and from classes.
Why Are We Making These Changes?
Lanyards
We have learned from our recent audit that the ability to identify who is in our buildings at any given time is of critical importance. This applies to adults, including staff and visitors, as well as students. This year we made a district-wide commitment to having all staff wear lanyards while on campus. Visitors are also required to wear lanyards. Our students will now be required to wear a lanyard with their school ID while on campus. We will be providing students with a lanyard and their school ID on Monday, October 24th.
Since the beginning of this school year, students have been using temporary ID cards to purchase food in the cafeteria. Now that school pictures have been taken, these permanent ID cards featuring their photo should be used going forward.
At New Trier (and many other schools), students are required to have their school lanyards to enter the building. Making this shift at Washburne will also help prepare students for the expectations in high school.
Backpacks
Prior to 2018, students at Washburne did not carry backpacks between classes. During the 2017-2018 school year, our student leadership group proposed making a temporary change to this policy, and students have been carrying backpacks during the school day since that time. While we understand that it may be more convenient for students to have their backpacks in between classes, there are several reasons to make this change that we have witnessed over the last several years:
While we know that our students generally make good and safe decisions, current safety and security best practices for schools indicate that additional safety measures are warranted. Our research of other schools in the area has indicated that we are not alone in making this proactive change regarding backpacks.
Many of our students are carrying all of their school supplies on their backs throughout the day. Even with the shift away from heavy textbooks for each class, the weight that students have been carrying on their backs is significant and detrimental.
With all of their supplies in the backpack, students are having a harder time being organized and finding the right supplies. Ironically, having access to everything makes it harder to find exactly what is needed.
Students have been pulling on the strap of each other’s backpacks, causing students to fall backwards with such a heavy weight on the backs. While we have addressed this issue with both teams of students and individually, it continues to be a problem.
How will we work with Students to help them adjust to these Changes?
We understand that this represents a significant change for students, and that they will need help adjusting. Beginning the week of October 24th, advisories will be discussing these changes to help students plan how they will carry supplies during the school day.
Additionally, we think it is important for families and students to be aware of the following:
Students will still be able to bring their backpacks to school. During the day, backpacks will remain in student lockers.
Having to stop at a locker more frequently during the day means that students will need additional time to get to class. Students will not be considered “late” or be punished for needing to stop at their lockers.
As they did prior to 2018, teachers will work with students to help them manage supplies in between classes. For example, prior to making his change, students on some teams would drop off materials for an afternoon class on their way to lunch.
We know that there are personal hygiene products that students need to carry with them. Students will still be able to carry a small bag or purse for such items.
Thank you for your partnership to ensure the safety of our staff and students. We recognize that making changes in how our students experience their school day can be difficult for some. We are committed to supporting our students as they adapt to this change, and are confident that it is being done in a way that prioritizes what is most important to us– the safety and security of our students and staff.
Take Care and Be Well,
Dr. Andrew Fenton
Principal, Carleton Washburne School