-continued from previous page
The district announced
the new security measures
following the fatal shooting
of a Butler high school
student in a crowded school
hallway Oct. 29. Another
Butler student has been
•
/ •
charged in the shooting.
•
Dr. Wilcox was joined at
“
” •
the briefing by Charlotte-
•
Mecklenburg Police Chief
•
Kerr Putney.
•
•
Putney said that the
•
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
Police Department, the
•
•
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
•“
Schools Police Department
"
and the district were
engaged in a collaborative
discussion about keeping
•
schools safe.
•
He also praised the
•
Charlotte-Mecklenburg
•
Board of Education and
•
•
the Mecklenburg County
manager for their support.
•
“They will make our
•
schools safer,” Putney said.
•
•
“Charlotte deserves no
•
•
less.”
Both men emphasized
•
that school safety is a
community responsibility.
“It is clear that the
entire community must be
a part of keeping weapons
The district will work with staff on updates of all school safety plans,
out of our schools,” the
entry and access procedures, emergency procedures, crisis teams,
superintendent said. “We cannot be partners in possibility if we fail to
communications and incident reporting. Resources, platforms and
be stewards of safety for our kids. We simply must work together to
procedures for social media monitoring will also be added to ensure
keep weapons out of our schools and reduce violence in the lives of our
families and the public are informed about threat assessment and early
young people.”
warnings.
The new measures include a mix of technology, procedure and
CMS is also working to make crisis communications more robust by
actions.
increasing the frequency of updates and wider messaging to families,
“We have consulted with law enforcement, we have conducted
including instant text messaging.
internal reviews and we have looked at ideas and best practices from
In addition to these measures, Dr. Wilcox emphasized the necessity
other districts,” Dr. Wilcox said. “We also talked to students. I want to
of additional significant investment in social, emotional and mental
thank them for their honesty, their candor and their brilliance.”
health supports for students, including more counselors, in the next
When school resumes after the winter break, he said, the district
operating budget. CMS has added 60 counseling positions this year but
will begin random wanding of students and random searches of
remains well below student-counselor ratios recommended by national
backpacks and bags. Wanding and searching will be done by trained
mental health organizations.
security personnel and the program will be managed by the district’s
“I want to use this announcement as a platform for early notice to
police force, who will work with local law enforcement to develop
our
leaders – CMS will be asking for more support for our student and
protocols and procedures. The wanding and searches will not be
not in a small way,” Dr. Wilcox said.
announced in advance.
The district will also hold a series of community town halls to share
Camera monitors will be increased to include all portable
safety and security information and gather input from the public. The
classrooms. The district will also accelerate its deployment of “panic
meetings will begin before the end of the calendar year, he said.
cards” that will allow teachers to send instant emergency notification to
“I strongly encourage everyone – students, families and staff – to
CMS staff, law enforcement and emergency personnel.
say something if you see something that can threaten our safety,” said
The district will install an electronic, keyless entry-access system
Dr. Wilcox. “I strongly believe that the true solutions to ending violence
on every front door and the primary entry point for remote buildings on
and guns in our schools are found in building relationships, in creating
school campuses. Monitoring will be increased at secondary entrances
trust and in creating community in our schools,” he said.
to campuses used for access to athletic fields, auxiliary buildings,
maintenance and other entry points for vehicles.
Parent Teacher Magazine •January/February 2019 • 3