EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DELIVERY
This chapter discusses the Grape Creek Independent School District's (GCISD's) educational service delivery system in five sections:
- A. Student Performance
- B. Curriculum and Instructional Resources
- C. Special Programs
- D. Health Programs
- E. Safety and Security
E. SAFETY AND SECURITY
Chapter 37 of the TEC, adopted in 1995 and revised in 1997 and 1999, stipulates that schools will develop policies and procedures that define appropriate student conduct and establish alternative education programs to ensure discipline management. In addition, TEA collects and publishes data from school districts that describes the number, rate and type of violent and criminal incidents that have occurred on each of its campuses, as well as information about violence prevention and intervention policies used to protect students.
GCISD's board-approved policy says the "district shall attempt to ensure student safety through supervision of students in all school buildings, on all school grounds, and through special attention to the following:
- Maintaining a reasonably safe school environment;
- Observing safe practices in those areas of instruction or extracurricular activities that offer special hazards;
- Offering safety education to students enrolled in laboratory courses in science, shop courses health and physical education; and
- Providing first-aid care for students in case of accident or sudden illness."
The superintendent and principals at GCISD are charged with developing plans and procedures to ensure students are instructed in appropriate conduct and safety practices, as well as how to act in certain emergency situations. Board policy also describes prohibitions against possession or use of tobacco, specific substances and weapons, as well as assaults and disruptive behavior. District policy also describes the circumstances under which students may be interrogated and their persons or property searched. Guidelines for student discipline and managing the code of conduct are also outlined.
To address the growing levels of violence in schools, participants from all community sectors are beginning to work together more to reduce violence. In 1994, the TEA reported growing support for establishing partnerships among juvenile courts and probation, social agencies and school districts to improve interagency information-sharing, policies and procedures. In 1999, the Texas Legislature mandated that school districts begin reporting the number, rate and type of violent and criminal incidents occurring in each of its schools. This provides a benchmark for measuring how well any given school district is performing as it tries to reduce the incidence of violence on its campuses.
An effective program of safety and security involves three elements: prevention, intervention and enforcement. Prevention is the planning phase, or foundation, of a school safety program. Intervention is the action taken to deter a crisis or disaster. And, enforcement is the administration of punishment for disobeying the rules. TSPR has designed and published a set of guidelines schools can use to develop a comprehensive program of violence reduction and crisis management. The success of this plan depends upon the involvement and commitment of all stakeholders, including the community.
FINDING
GCISD created a comprehensive crisis management plan as part of its district and campus improvement plans. It is designed to change the atmosphere of each school to what the superintendent calls a peaceable school environment. In addition, safety and discipline management are focuses of staff development training.
To date, the district has published its School Safety and Emergency Resource Manual, adapted from a model developed by the Texas Association of School Boards. The manual, which has a hot-pink cover for easy identification in a crisis, is a resource for those responsible for school safety. It includes an overview and framework for the plan, describes responsibilities at all levels, defines crises levels and types of incidents within each category, lists detailed steps for specific crisis situations and serves as a template for individual campus plans. The manual is distributed to all employees, who are instructed to keep it on their desks as ready reference. In addition, a bound flip-chart, modeled after the one developed by Region 15, complements the manual, providing quick access to key phone numbers and step-by-step instructions. Exhibit 2-25 below illustrates the levels of crisis, the kinds of crises associated with each level and the personnel responsible.
Exhibit 2-25 Source: GCISD School Safety and Emergency Resource Manual, September 2000.
Levels of Crisis Management
Level Explanation Kinds of Crises Responsible Personnel I Personal tragedy, threatening incidents or operational crises affecting a student, teacher, or administrator, and a single site Minor accidents to/from school; student assault; bomb threat; child abuses; power outage or climate control in extreme weather; vandalism Campus crisis management team; law enforcement; school counselors; nurse or other health care provider; maintenance department II Major personal crisis, threat or disaster affecting several individuals and usually necessitating outside assistance Major accidents; bomb found; gang altercations; mass involvement of students in large group crisis; hazardous materials release or spill; riot Campus crisis management team; law enforcement; counselors; central administration; public information; media; nurse; emergency health care services III Terrorism; disaster or threatening disaster profoundly affecting one or more schools Bomb, explosion or fire; death at school; emergency evacuation; tornadoes; hostage situation; sniper gunfire Campus crisis team; central administration; law enforcement; counselors; public information; news media; health services In addition to publishing its comprehensive manual, the GCISD program for crisis management also involves staff and student development. The program calls for three levels of training: awareness, skills development and skill mastery, and specifies who should have what level of training. School district personnel, including the superintendent, principals, teachers and even substitutes, have already attended several staff development programs on sexual harassment, conflict resolution, motivating positive behavior, and other subjects. Several of these were co-sponsored by Region 15.
GCISD also participates in shelter-in-place drills and evacuations, and conducted one of each in May 2001. Planning for the drills was extensive and involved members of the community, including emergency personnel and law enforcement, as well as the district leadership committee, administrators, faculty and support staff. The district conducted the shelter-in-place drill as if it were a real emergency, starting with the administration being notified, reporting the situation to local law enforcement and setting the responses in motion at the campus level. Once students were secured within the building, officers went from room to room checking for ways to improve procedures. Reports from all three campuses were favorable with few problems. A week later the district conducted a building evacuation drill, and transferred via school buses 900 students and staff to the high school stadium in less than 30 minutes. Such run-through drills better prepare staff and students to handle real-life emergency procedures. The entire process will be evaluated in order to refine it and further ensure the safety of students and staff.
COMMENDATION
GCISD has developed a comprehensive, five-year crisis management program that includes a manual with accompanying flip-chart, staff development activities and skills practice in order to create a more peaceable learning environment.
FINDING
GCISD requires students and parents to review and sign an acknowledgment page in their comprehensive student code of conduct indicating that they have read the material. The acknowledgment also grants or refuses parental permission for the student to use the school's electronic communication system. Failure to return the form with signatures constitutes agreement with the provisions in the Handbook, making enforcement easier.
The code of conduct was developed in response to requirements of Chapter 37 of the TEC and district board policy. It includes plans, materials and practices for ensuring the safety and security of students and staff and spells out expectations for student behavior, describes disciplinary consequences for engaging in prohibited conduct and defines specific infractions. Categories of offenses give students an opportunity to correct behavior and avoid more serious consequences.
Students who fail to comply with expected rules of conduct may be subject to any of the following, depending upon the nature of the violation:
- Corporal punishment;
- In-school suspension;
- Detention;
- Suspension from school, not to exceed three school days at one time;
- Formal removal from class by the teacher;
- Removal to an alternative education program; and/or
- Expulsion from school.
COMMENDATION
Requiring parent and student signatures on an acknowledgment page in the student code of conduct is an effective way to ensure that students and parents read and understand the district's expectations for appropriate student behavior.
FINDING
Although GCISD has developed crisis teams at each of its schools that consist of principals, counselors, nurses, maintenance personnel and site-based management staff, there are no members of the external community serving on these committees. While it is clear that individual campus crisis teams must be readily available in an emergency, using community members, even if only ex-officio, adds dimension to the safety effort.
Administrators, teachers and parents all agree that the relationship between the school district and local law enforcement has improved in the past year, and everyone interviewed indicated that they appreciated unannounced patrols and periodic surveillance by the Tom Green County Sheriff's Department.
Recommendation 11:
Develop a community-wide safety committee that includes members from law enforcement, fire safety, health care, social services and the community to share information, skills and resources related to school and public safety.
A community-wide safety committee involves citizens, businesses and health and social services of all types in a school district. This group, which should consist of at least 15 members, should meet at least once a month to exchange ideas about how to increase protection and expand safety awareness within the school and throughout the community. For example, sharing information on school floor plans with law enforcement, or getting advice on how to secure a school for improved safety, or participating in the "civilian rider" program with sheriff's deputies adds a dimension to a school's safety awareness and puts increased knowledge behind its efforts.
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES AND TIMELINE
1. The superintendent and school principals meet and select appropriate school personnel to serve on the community-wide safety committee. September 2001 2. Principals ask teachers and staff to suggest persons within the community who would be appropriate as committee members. At the very least, membership should include representatives of law enforcement, fire safety, social/psychological services, emergency services, community health care and the clergy. September 2001 3. The superintendent contacts each referral and extends an invitation to participate, explaining the purpose and the potential value to the community. October 2001 4. The superintendent sets a meeting date and time and his designee sends out an appointment letter with the first meeting date. October 2001 5. The committee meets and the superintendent describes his vision for the committee and asks all participants to bring suggestions for safety improvement to the next meeting. November 2001 6. At the next meeting, brainstorming begins on ways all agencies can interact to improve existing safety practices, particularly in emergency management. December 2001 7. Meetings continue and sub-committees are formed as circumstances warrant. Practical ideas are implemented and those with associated costs are forwarded to the appropriate budget committee for further consideration. January 2002 - Ongoing FISCAL IMPACT
This recommendation can be implemented with existing resources.