Message from the Superintendent
As the bond projects near completion, we would like to thank the Glenpool community once again for its support of the school district. With your approval of bond issues throughout the years, the district has been able to build and upgrade its facilities, purchase buses, improve safety and security, and upgrade technology. As stated in the district's non-negotiables, safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority. With that in mind, the Board of Education has committed over $750,000 in bond funds and through general fund allocations to the implementation of increased safety and security measures.
The employment of a second School Resource Officer and an additional school nurse were high priorities. The relationship existing between the community's first responders and the district staff has certainly enhanced our ability to place safety and security first. In addition, crossing guards and duty personnel have been employed to assist students and their parents in moving safely throughout the district. The implementation of a new traffic flow pattern has certainly made moving about the cental campus and the new school site much easier and safer. At the site and district levels, staff members meet together to review safety protocols and plan activities that put learned skills and techniques into action.
Throughout the buildings and school buses, you will notice the extensive number of cameras, some with audio recording capabilities. New repeaters and hand held radios allow personnel to communicate across the district easily. Although it may seem inconvenient at times, the entrances to facilities are now secure, preventing easy access. An application utilized on cell phones district wide allows for immediate contact with one another as well as first responders and emergency personnel. By utilizing GPS features, including geo-fencing, emergencies can be easily and effectively located.
The old adage, practice makes perfect, certainly applies to safety and security. Throughout the district, drills are conducted in order to ensure that all know and can implement the proper procedures should a crisis of some type arise. The district has, on two occasions, requested risk and vulnerability assessments, conducted by the Oklahoma Safety and Security Institute, a division of the Oklahoma Department of Homeland Security. As a result of that input, changes have been made to improve the provision of a safe and secure school environment. We will continue to solicit input from safety officials that will keep our students and staff safe.
Last, but certainly not least, the district has heightened mental health and behavior intervention services for students and staff. Supplemental counseling services provided by Daybreak, Youth Services and CREOKS support students and their families; while training and specialized programs help staff members help students and other staff members in a sensitive yet effective manner. Research shows that most perpetrators of school violence have a history of abuse, neglect and turmoil. So it is critical that we nurture and strengthen all of our children. Those relationships developed over the years between students and families and students and staff enable us to be able to better serve and assist all students.
We will continue our focus on safety and security while providing students with a high quality public education. Again, thank you for your support of Glenpool Public Schools.
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