Jones Finally Speaks Up on School Safety (Don't Get Too Excited)

Update:

Today we find out why Jones put out such a generic "plan." Apparently, he was waiting for his press conference with the Mayor. Oh.

From the Seattle Times:

The city and Seattle Public Schools announced approximately $14.55 million in funding Thursday to boost safety and security measures and expand mental health support for students before the new school year.

The investment includes $12.25 million from the city and $2.3 million from SPS.

While some of the investments and support will be available and visible when school starts Sept. 4, others will roll out during the year.  

Details:

The city’s intervention efforts will focus on 11 middle and high schools with the highest rates of violence inside and around the building perimeter, Harrell said. The schools are Rainier Beach High, Garfield High, Chief Sealth International, Franklin High, Ingraham High, Aki Kurose Middle, Washington Middle, Denny International Middle, Mercer International Middle, Robert Eagle Staff and Meany Middle schools. 

Meanwhile, the district has added cameras, fences and other physical upgrades to some buildings. Students will also see more of a police presence around campuses, especially at the start of the school day, during lunchtime and when classes end.

SPS will also add social and emotional well-being classes for elementary school students and mental health classes for high and middle school students.

What Others Say:

Daleceana Fudge-Minnis, 17, an incoming senior at Rainier Beach High School, said she feels safe at school, especially with the presence of the “Be Safe” members who work in her building and with the relationships she has developed with police officers who work in the area.

“We strived for those — the implementation of mental health services in schools,” he said, “But I would have liked some emphasis on how this work should have been started sooner rather than later.”

Jennifer Marquardt, the co-president of the Garfield High School Parent Teacher Student Association said that while the programs and investments sound great, it would take time to get some of the initiatives running and to hire people to fill the roles. One of her worries is what will happen in the interim.

Ricole Jones, the targeted program director at SE Network SafetyNet Program at the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, said the funds will allow the group to hire more staff to work with students. 

“At the end of the day, our young people are in need of assurance that someone is providing a level of guardianship beyond what the school provides, beyond what security can do,” she said. 

I would like to see a detailed budget on where the spending goes plus photos of these upgrades they say they made at schools.

end of update

An email was sent yesterday to SPS families labelled, "Important Safety and Wellness Updates for the 2024-2025 School Year." I'm not too impressed. 

There was the usual "looking forward to the start of a new school year" but remembering the sadness of the end of the last school year. Then he goes into detail. 

Key Wellness Measures for 2024-25: Proactive Well-Being Supports

Increased Social Work Staffing: The 2024-25 budget includes extra funding for school social workers. It will raise the total to more than 50, up from 30 in 2022-23. This will provide more students with essential mental health and social-emotional support.

Behavioral Health Screenings: We have expanded the Check Yourself survey to all middle and high schools. This voluntary survey allows our young people to share concerns they may have about their health, including substance use, mental health, and safety.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Supports: We have expanded SEL lessons and support for our elementary students. New mental health lessons for middle and high school students will help promote behaviors that support good mental health, reduce stigma, and improve access to resources.

It's great that there will be more social workers but we want details. Instead of 30 there will be 50 but where will they be placed?  

And I can't WAIT for high school kids to take the Check Yourself mental health survey. If middle schoolers thought it invasive and dumb, I'm waiting to see what high school students will have to say. I think they might be even MORE inclined than middle school students to make stuff up for fun. 

All that said, please tell your teen NOT to take it. 

On SEL, "expanded lessons and support?" Will there be more lessons, longer/deeper lessons? 

Key Safety Measures for 2024-25: Keeping Schools Safe

This summer, SPS has continued to enhance campus safety. This year’s investments will focus on improving safety and well-being in schools, expanding partnerships to prevent violence, and continuing mental health services. While clear backpacks and student identification badges will not be required, they are still being considered.

Increased Staffing and Security: We are boosting security in schools, especially in areas with higher safety concerns. This includes adding more safety specialists and hiring an executive director of student and community safety. The new executive director will oversee our Safety and Security team and work with city and state partners like Seattle Police and Fire.

What is the mystery? Are they adding more security at high schools, some high schools? And oh boy, yet ANOTHER senior leadership position "executive director of student and community safety."  

Public Safety Collaboration: The SPS Safety and Security team is strengthening its collaboration with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to enhance student safety and build trust. This partnership will expand on the important work that schools and first responders already do. It includes maintaining regular communication on safety-related matters, working together to protect students, staff, and community from violence around our schools, and conducting building and campus walk-throughs to ensure emergency preparedness. We anticipate an increased police presence around school perimeters during key times — before school, during lunch, and after school.

Well, after reading the public disclosure docs from the Sand Point Elementary invasion more than a year ago, I sure hope SPS and SPD have had frank talks about how to interact and work together because that was a fiasco. 

And they are doing "campus walk-throughs?" Hasn't that already been done?! As I stated from my interview with a Garfield High staffer, most staff is in the dark about safety issues.  

High School Lunchtime: Our principals know their school communities best. For the start of the school year, high schools will decide whether students can leave campus for lunch. SPS Safety and Security will continue dedicated staff support for our campuses. This includes monitoring lunchtime safety. SPS or SPD may recommend closing campuses if necessary due to safety incidents.

I agree principals know their schools but this "leave to principals to decide on where kids have lunch" is wrong. ALL high schools should be on the same page at the beginning of the year. They can loosen up things as time goes by.  

Emergency Drills and Campus Signage: This summer, SPS upgraded our emergency response system to improve communication between schools and central office. All schools have updated weapon-free zones signs, reinforcing this critical safety expectation. We conduct regular emergency drills—fire, shelter-in-place, and earthquake—to prepare students and staff for emergencies. Please remind your students to take these drills seriously.

'"Updated weapon-free zones signs." Great. I'm glad they do multiple kinds of drills but where is the info for what students should do if they are caught outside their classroom while still in the building? What should students do if they are off campus but coming to school? Has that been fully addressed? 

Communication and Reporting Concerns: We are continuously improving our communication during emergencies. The district and schools send out notifications via phone, email, and text message. Please ensure your contact information is up to date with your student’s school, so you do not miss important updates.

Visitor and Volunteer Check-In: As a reminder, all school visitors need to sign in and wear a visitor badge while on campus. This helps us keep track of who is in our buildings.

SPS has a Safe Schools Hotline. We encourage everyone to “see something, say something.” Anyone can report school safety concerns to staff, the Safe Schools Hotline, or the “Seattle Public Schools” mobile app. The hotline is available 24/7 at 206-252-0510.

Partnering to Interrupt Violence

Additional Budget Resources for Safety: We are dedicating an additional $2.3 million of the SPS 2024-25 budget to increased staffing in the SPS Safety and Security team. We are grateful for the city’s partnership. Mayor Bruce Harrell is matching this with additional funds for violence prevention. This will strengthen our work with community-based violence programs and expand access to behavioral health support through on-site services and telehealth for students. More details will be available soon.

Where has this money come from in the budget? And those extra City dollars for this effort  is around $2.5M. So there's nearly $5M there and we await those promised details.

We are continually exploring new safety and security measures and will keep you informed of any updates. Your feedback is important to us, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions or suggestions.

How should parents and community do that?  

Keeping students safe takes all of us—students, families, staff, and community organizations. Thank you for your support and partnership in keeping our schools safe.

Thoughts?