Saint Paul Public Schools
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What we do to Keep Your Children Safe  Central security staff can monitor intruders through video cameras at all SPPS secondary schools Our approach to safety reaches into every aspect of student life. From the first minute students wait 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:
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 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.
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.
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.
We use a variety of mechanisms to control intruders, which may include trained greeters, school resource officers, or other assigned staff at the main entrance to schools, ensuring that all visitors are screened and registered. 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.
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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