ICYMI: Safety Doesn’t Happen By Accident
Reported by Jamie Pence
Moderator: Randy Braverman, Senior Consultant, Facility Engineering Associates PC
Panelists: David Negron, Ed.D., Superintendent, Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview SD 89; James Ferguson, Assistant Director of Student Services, Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview SD 89
In the past eight years, Maywood-Melrose Park-Broadview SD 89 has made school safety a priority and worked diligently with local law enforcement, fire safety personnel, EMS, and school crisis teams to put plans, supplies, and materials in place in preparation for multiple crisis events. Superintendent David Negron and the district partnered with Randy Braverman, a senior consultant at Facility Engineering Associates PC, to review each district building and update safety plans. Quarterly school board briefings as well as annual trainings for all faculty and staff members have been implemented as part of the updated plans.
To increase security in each building, faculty and staff participated in specific trainings about visitors to the building and how they enter. The district built secure vestibules in each building with transaction windows so guests are not allowed access to the office or any part where students may be located without secure checkin. Office check-in systems include software to scan driver’s licenses and online sex offender registry checks for each visitor. Additionally, each school building has at least two unarmed security guards who are retired or off-duty police officers or firefighters. Each village comprising Maywood- Melrose Park-Broadview SD 89 provides a trained school resource officer, and the school district is part of the interview process and training for those roles.
Security assessments were completed in each building to determine what the school has and what each needs to be as secure and prepared as possible. New maps of each school were developed and shared with all local first responders, including outdoor maps and indoor maps with details of where emergency necessities are located (utility shut-off, AEDs, etc.). Three Knox Boxes were added to each building. The district provides access codes to the dispatch team of each village to provide consistency with access to the building. Each classroom was outfitted with updated signage, maps, and plans for a variety of emergencies and supply kits.
Faculty and staff members participate in annual trainings for multiple types of emergencies and work closely with first responders when completing these trainings. For active shooter trainings, the district presents realistic scenarios with people assigned to be injured in different settings to practice responses, including response time, crisis response, communicating with local law enforcement and media, and using the provided safety tools. Each faculty and staff member is also trained on relocation and reunification as part of the plan in order to prevent chaos in the event of a true crisis.
SD 89 has prioritized student safety within the building as well. With the support of the student services department, the district has created Threat Assessment Protocols to analyze the level of threat that a student poses to themselves or others while on school grounds, with a trained team at each school building. Community partnerships with mental health supports have been integral to providing students with a safe environment for learning. The team is also well-trained in postvention in order to provide each student with supports to reduce long-term negative effects.