By Lee Reinsch
Correspondent
DE PERE – The Unified School District of De Pere’s safety plan got an airing Monday at a committee meeting of the De Pere school board Monday, Dec. 3.
The 88-page document includes contingency plans for crises ranging from tornadoes and fires to nuclear attacks and terrorist threats.
It’s a response to the state of Wisconsin’s enacting of Act 143 in late 2017, which mandates that school districts establish crisis management protocol and to share that information with staff, students and others involved in the school community.
In addition to teachers and administrators, building and grounds staff, office staff, counselors and social workers, transportation staff, food service staff and others are included in the training.
Jerry Nicholson, director of student services for the district, serves as threat assessment team leader.
He spoke to the board about the plan.
“The school safety plan requirement has prompted us to assemble the procedures, policies and training that have previously existed in the district into one document,” Nicholson said. “Staff will be updated and trained on any areas that are new or that have had significant adjustments within the process.”
He said CESA 10 had a hand in laying the groundwork for the safety plan, which can be modified or customized to the demands of individual schools as long as the changes meet the safety standards.
“The practice of threat assessment is currently being reviewed at the state level and we will likely be considering adjustments by our district and others as that information becomes available,” said Nicholson.
De Pere’s safety plan covers active shooters, chemical accidents, bloodborne pathogens, hostage situations, bus accidents, tornados, fires, explosions, floods and more.
Last spring, the Wisconsin Department of Justice created the Office of School Safety and allotted $100 million in grants for K-12 schools to upgrade their safety measures.
Of that, the state earmarked $65 million for training and enhanced security, and $35 million for installing security film and door locks.
To qualify for the grant moneys, district staff are required to take three hours of training in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Trauma Informed Care by the end of the school year.
Also, schools applying need to lock their doors during the school day and screen visitors, as well as have a visitor protocol in print.
Schools also need to send 10 percent of their full-time teachers and counselors to a 12-hour adolescent mental health training program approved by the DOJ by August 2020, establish a school safety intervention team, and participate in or promote the DOJ’s confidential tip line.
The school district received more than $62,000 in grant money in July from the Department of Justice for security cameras, and applied for another grant for locks and security film.
The De Pere school district will put the $62,000 toward installing security cameras on all six school district buildings.
The remaining $35 million in state grant money is earmarked for putting locks on every door and security film on main entrances.
De Pere will apply for grant money from this category as well.