Peters Township Police Officer Jim Stevick is the School Resource Officer at the High School .
SCHOOL SAFETY : SEE SOMETHING , SAY SOMETHING – DO SOMETHING eters Township
PETERS TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT NEWS
As news of the tragic school shooting in Parkland , Florida made headlines across the country , parents in Peters Township Schools were invited to a District Safety Summit on March 7 to learn more about preventative safety measures in our schools .
The program began with a presentation from FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst John Pulcastro who supervises a staff of intelligence analysts working counterterrorism and threatrelated matters . Pulcastro focused his time talking about the responsibility everyone in our community shares in identification , intervention and prevention of these tragic acts of violence .
Pulcastro shared some of the indicators of this radical behavior including praising past attacks , weapon acquisition , and fascination with violence . He also cautioned parents to engage with their children and their use of technology , given that even the most basic smartphone gives our children access to unlimited content that could encourage these behaviors . “ When it comes to social media , most parents are way behind . Our kids are the experts and every day new apps are appearing to grab their attention ,” said District Communications Coordinator Shelly Belcher . Mrs . Belcher also oversees safety training across the District and is a parent of two children in our schools .
Police Chief Doug Grimes also spoke at the Safety Summit sharing the role that his department plays in school safety . In addition to the School Resource Officer at the High School , there is a police officer at the Middle School every day during student arrival and patrol officers conduct random walk-throughs inside each of our schools daily .
Superintendent Dr . Jeannine French and other District administrators also shared many of the intervention techniques that are in place for our students . Starting with our youngest students and continuing through 6th grade , our teachers meet monthly during “ Kid Talk ” time and discuss every student in terms of their academic , social and emotional growth or challenges . At the Middle School , the team approach provides the same opportunities for individual student evaluation ; and as
80 PETERS TOWNSHIP students transition to the High School , the Student Assistance Program ( SAP ) provides referrals for students in need of support .
In addition , staff members throughout that District have received extensive training on supporting our students ’ emotional health . Earlier this month , Pulcastro met with all staff members to enhance their skills at identifying students at risk at all grade levels . Other recent trainings for the staff include first aid / mental health , suicide prevention with a focus on mental health and anxiety , and opioid and drug awareness at the high school level . Counselors and staff members who teach health received specialized training in these areas as well .
This winter , the students also took part in a presentation from the Tyler ’ s Light Foundation – hearing from the father of a young man who died of a drug overdose who encourages students to make positive choices . His message of encouraging students to speak up when they see a friend making poor choices is one that was echoed by the FBI at the Security Summit .
“ We need everyone to invest in the safety of our children ,” adds Dr . French . “ When these tragedies happen , many people will say that they saw the signs . The key is to notice those signs early and act on them before violence occurs .”
The District ’ s safety efforts also include an online Safe Schools Tip Form where students and parents may submit alerts to their building administration and counseling office regarding bullying incidents , threats , or drug and alcohol related incidents . If students are uncomfortable talking with an adult directly , they can use these forms that are found on each school ’ s homepage .
“ We take every alert seriously ,” adds Mrs . Belcher . “ Our staff members follow through on each one and we ’ ve have several submissions within the first few weeks of posting the forms .”
The safety of our students is a responsibility that we all share . The District has posted resources and links to the document provided by the FBI on the Safety page of the District website ( www . ptsd . k12 . pa . us ). Parents with questions or concerns related to safety should contact Mrs . Belcher at belchers @ pt-sd . org .