KSD3 News
Weekly Update from Superintendent Wendy Johnson
1/13/2023
In this update:
- ✨ Please plan to attend 'Helping Kids Choose Their Future' Jan. 26
- 🔐 Implementing closed, locked inside doors in our schools
- 🙋 Questions about the March 14 Bond?
- 🗓️ Looking ahead in our schools
✨ Please plan to attend 'Helping Kids Choose Their Future' Jan. 26
This fall, Sgt. Brian Keen, who supervises our school resources officers, spoke with the Superintendent Advisory Council, about on how drugs are impacting our youth today.
The story's not good.
He also shared a short video from former U.S. Drug Enforcement Agent Rocky Herron. The take away from our briefing was our kids have greater access to drugs than ever before -- and the drugs are stronger and more deadly.
Sgt. Keen and Assistant Superintendent Kim Bekkedahl asked the council if we should bring Rocky to Kuna to help inform our students and parents of the dangers and to help equip everyone to make good choices.
They agreed and a subcommittee of the council has been planning ever since. Rocky will be speaking with our secondary students and with our parents and community, too. Here's the schedule:
- 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 Kuna Middle School students
- 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 Initial Point High School students
- 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 Fremont Middle School students
- 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 Free Community presentation at the Kuna Performing Arts Center
- 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27 Kuna/Swan Falls high schools students
I hope to see you at the community event Jan. 26. Like last spring's event, people and resources from our community who are focused on supporting youth and families will be there to share information.
🔐 Implementing closed, locked inside doors in our schools
For years, we've controlled outside access to our schools when our students are present and asked everyone to follow the "buzz in" or "check in" procedures to get inside. (Thank you to our community for providing schools with these important safety measures through supplemental levies.)
We are now extending the closed, locked door policy to inside our schools, too.
Why? This change reflects a life saving lesson our law enforcement partners learned from the tragic events in recent years: no locked door has ever been breached by a school shooter.
School leaders will be working with their building teams as we make this change. Most classrooms will be able to implement this quickly. We've identified barriers for some classrooms and learning spaces and will be working to address those concerns.
Closing and locking doors does not mean that we are in lock down.
Teachers can still use hallways for intervention classes and individual sessions, and teachers can still go outside for class. Visitors can come to our classrooms and schools.
Again, the reason for this change is simple: safety for our students and staff. Locking doors has saved lives and prevented injuries.
We appreciate your support as we change procedures inside our schools to keep everyone safe.
🙋 Questions about the March 14 Bond?
We sharing information with our community about the upcoming Kuna School District Bond Election to add more learning spaces as we are growing forward.
We've scheduled two community meetings and would appreciate your help getting the word out.
- Thursday, Feb. 16 - Kuna Chamber of Commerce - Bond Presentation Q&A
- Thursday Feb. 16 - Virtual Community Meeting Bond Presentation Q&A
- Wednesday, March 1 - Facebook Live Bond Presentation Q&A
We'd love to speak to groups. Please email me to schedule a presentation. I want everyone in our community to understand the why and the what of the upcoming bond issue and how the bond will impact each person.
➡️ Request a mail in ballot here. (Last day to request is March 3)
➡️ Learn more about the bond here.
🗓️ Looking ahead in our schools
- 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
- Jan. 26 - Connecting Together II Helping Kids Choose Their Future
- Jan. 28 - KHS Act III Productions "Dragons Love Tacos"
- Feb. 2 - Kuna Community Classified teaching certification information night
- Feb. 7 - Negotiations meeting
- Feb. 8 - Calendar Committee meeting
- Feb. 14 - Kuna Board of Trustees meeting
- Feb. 16 - Kuna Chamber of Commerce - March 14, 2023 Bond Presentation
- Feb. 16 - Virtual Community Meeting March 14, 2023 Bond Presentation Q&A
- Feb. 20 - No school President's Day
- Feb. 23-25 - KHS Musical Monty Python's SPAMALOT
- Feb. 27 - Superintendent's Advisory Council meeting
- March 1 - Facebook Live - March 14, 2023 Bond Presentation Q&A
- March 2 - All district choir concert
- March 3 - Last day to request a mail in ballot
- March 4 - HOSA Daddy Daughter Dance
- March 7 - Negotiations meeting
- March 7 - All District band concert
- March 8 - Calendar Committee meeting
- March 8 - Freshman Pathways Showcase Night
- March 13 - KHS Spring Choir Concert
- March 14 - KHS Spring Orchestra Concert
- March 14 - Election Day
- March 14 - Kuna Board of Trustees meeting
- March 20 - Superintendent's Advisory Council
- March 27-31 - Spring Break