| Keeping Kids safe |  | Our approach to safety reaches into every aspect of student life.
From the first minute they are waiting for the bus in the morning, to
the last minute they step off the bus in the evening, we have their
safety as our top concern.
The five basic pillars of our safety program are:
- prevention
- training and drills
- creating alternatives to violence
- monitoring and
intervention
Prevention
The place to stop violence in schools is long before it starts. Saint
Paul Public Schools offers a variety of hands-on training to students
to help them be safer in school. From learning communication and
mediation skills, to learning how to appropriately channel anger and
responsive classroom expectations, students learn appropriate outlets
for emotions and how to control the behavior. A clear handbook of
expectations, called [link] Student Conduct: Rights and
Responsibilities is presented to each student and family, so everyone
is clear on the rules from the first day of school.
Training
Students participate in a variety of emergency drills from how to
evacuate school buses safely, to fire drills, to lockdown and intruder
drills. Drills are repeated throughout the school year under varied
conditions and are monitored by building administrators for
effectiveness. When an emergency happens, students and staff know ahead
of time what to do, and have experience doing it.
Alternatives to Violence
The best way to keep kids out of harm’s way is to create positive
alternatives to lifestyles and behavior that lead to violence. From Steps to Respect, anti-gang programs to a host of
after-school activities, clubs and extra-curricular activities, Saint
Paul Public Schools makes it easy for kids to find something positive
and affirming to be involved with.
Monitoring
Trained greeters (security assistants) are present at the main entrance
to every school, ensuring that all visitors are screened and must
register. High schools have metal detectors available. Uniformed
police officers at the High School level are called School Resource
Officers they develop positive relationships with students and create a
calming, secure presence. Security cameras and walkie-talkie systems
ensure that building administrators are available to each other
continuously and have control over the facility. An established threat
assessment process called Threat Management by
Assessment and Counseling ensures that counselors, teachers and
administrators are aware of potential warning signs of violence in
students, and intervene in a timely, consistent and fair manner in each
situation.
Intervention
When a threatening situation occurs, established rules and processes
outline action steps for building staff. A range of consequences from
counseling, to in-school suspension, to expulsion and police
involvement result from unwanted or threatening behavior. A
zero-tolerance policy for gang-related activity is enforced at every
school.
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