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JCPS School Safety Plan

The Jefferson County Board of Education presented a new school safety proposal with Safety Administrators and School Safety Officers. Safety Administrators would be assigned to each middle and high school to foster positive culture while School Safety Officers would patrol assigned schools and respond to emergencies as armed law enforcement. Feedback was gathered from various community groups. Next steps include a town hall, policy meeting, and potential hiring if approved.

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Debbie Harbsmeier
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278 views14 pages

JCPS School Safety Plan

The Jefferson County Board of Education presented a new school safety proposal with Safety Administrators and School Safety Officers. Safety Administrators would be assigned to each middle and high school to foster positive culture while School Safety Officers would patrol assigned schools and respond to emergencies as armed law enforcement. Feedback was gathered from various community groups. Next steps include a town hall, policy meeting, and potential hiring if approved.

Uploaded by

Debbie Harbsmeier
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Jefferson County Board of

Education
January 11, 2022
Purpose of Session

● To provide a summary of the new safety proposal

● To get feedback to determine next steps


In Schools:
Current ● MHPs and Counselors in schools to support mental health
● In-School Security Monitors in each middle / high school and many
elementary schools
● Multiple building improvements including cameras at front doors,
locking classroom doors, etc.

To Support Schools:
● District Security department including District Security Monitors
Positions Recently Added:
● 4 MHPs to support gun involved youth, youth experiencing trauma
due to violence, & youth or victims of youth threatening violence
● Court Liaison who will serve, support, & respond to students who are
court-involved
● Specialist for Violence Prevention who promotes health &
wellness by coordinating with community partners,
specifically those engaged in local violence
prevention efforts
History
SROs in Schools 2018-19
● 28 schools had an SRO assigned inside the building for the entire day
● These 28 Officers worked for the following entities:
○ LMPD 17
○ Sheriff's Office 8
○ J’Town PD 2
○ St. Matthews PD 1
● LMPD did not renew JCPS Contract in July, 2019
● St. Matthews Police Department pulled their officer out
of the SRO program
● JCPS did not renew contracts with other departments
Overview of Concept:
A combination of two positions to support schools

Safety Administrator: School Safety Officer (SSO):

○ Manages safety-related ○ Patrols approximately 3-7 schools in a specified


issues at the school geographic zone; more officers would be hired to
○ Builds relationships with serve schools
students ○ Serves a set of schools and all schools have an SSO
○ To assist with aspects of assigned
school safety procedures (i.e., ○ Serves as an armed, sworn law enforcement officer
threat assessments, threat
○ Partners with Safety Administrator who reaches
monitoring)
out to SSO for support
○ Reports to Principal
○ Reports to Security & Investigations department

Assigned to each middle &


Very similar to current District
high school
Security Monitor- increasing
number of officers
Purpose of School Safety Officers
● To protect and maintain the safety of students and staff

● To work with district staff and community partners

● To respond to crimes and emergencies

● To maintain proper training and certification


to serve as an armed, sworn law enforcement officer

● To respond when School Administration calls at request


of Principal

NOT responsible for student discipline


SSO Assignments
School Safety Officers will serve a group of schools
in a geographic area that aligns with a high school
in order to have a quick response time. The officers
will patrol their assigned schools and will be ready
to respond to any who need help. The SSOs will
primarily be in their cars in order to respond quickly
to a school that needs them.

Example of Assignment:
Ballard
Kammerer
Surrounding Elementaries
Purpose of Safety Administrators
● To foster positive school culture and climate

● To build relationships of trust with students and employees

● To maintain positive relationships with school stakeholders

● To assist with aspects of school safety procedures (i.e., threat


assessments, threat monitoring)

NOT responsible for student discipline


Both Positions:
Responsibilities to Support Students

As one of their first duties, both will get to know:


○ Mental health services
○ Substance abuse assessment and treatment
providers
○ Child Protective Services
○ Shelters
○ Domestic violence services
○ Family counseling agencies
JCPS training for School Safety Officers and Safety
Training Administrator (Approximately 60 hours annually):

○ Cross-cultural communication/implicit bias training


○ Use of Interpreters with ELs for effective/appropriate communication
○ De-escalation
○ Restorative practices
○ Trauma-informed care
○ Safe crisis management
○ MTSS/ (Multi-Tiered Support Systems)
○ PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention & Supports)
○ Students with IDEA/504 protections
○ Student Support and Behavior Intervention Handbook
○ Bullying resources
○ New employee training and introduction to the district
○ Flexibility to add other training as the job develops
SSOs under Senate Bill 1 (40 hours annually):
○ State-mandated training for School Resource Officers
○ Peace Officer Professional Standards (POPS) Certification
Background

Studied other districts:


○ Fayette County Public Schools, KY
○ Baltimore City Public Schools, MD
○ Duval County Public Schools, FL
○ Austin Independent School District, TX
○ Miami-Dade County Public Schools, FL
○ Los Angeles Unified School District, CA
○ Atlanta Public Schools, GA
Feedback on Proposal
Safety Administrators are proposed to
● be assigned to each Middle and High school and will report to the Principal
● foster positive school culture and climate
● build relationships of trust with students and employees
● maintain positive relationships with school stakeholders
● assist with aspects of school safety procedures (i.e., threat assessments, threat monitoring)

School Safety Officers are proposed to


● serve as an armed, sworn law enforcement officer with appropriate equipment
● be provided a vehicle and regularly patrol assigned locations
● protect and maintain the safety of students and staff
● respond to crimes and emergencies
● respond when School Administration calls at direction of Principal
Feedback on Proposal
Met with focus groups
● shared proposal
● answered questions
● received feedback

Participants included representatives from:


● Urban League
● NAACP ● Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council
● LaCasita ● Community Missionary Church
● No More Red Dots ● Metro Louisville Government
● PTA ● Rajon Rondo Foundation
● Cities United ● University of Louisville
● AROS ● Advisory Council for Racial Equity
● ACLU ● JCTA Black Teacher Caucus
● LMPD
Next Steps
● January 12 Virtual Town Hall for input

● Mid-January Special Called Policy Meeting

● January 26 Proposed Meeting to Consider: organizational


chart & job descriptions, budget, policy
● After approval Hire and begin training

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