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Madison BOE Discusses School Safety

After yet another school shooting, a national walkout, and a national march, the question many are asking now is, “What happens next”? Over the past month, the Madison Board of Education (BOE) has taken to time to reflect on the school walkout, opportunities for students to continue to discuss the issue of gun violence in schools, and safety and security across the district.

At a BOE meeting on March 20, Superintendent of Schools Tom Scarice reflected on the school walkout event at Daniel Hand High School (DHHS) on March 14. Scarice said students did a great job organizing the event.

“I am really proud of our students and the responsibility we engendered in them to take the mantle and really in their own way take advantage of making a statement about ending senseless school violence,” he said.

Scarice said he did receive some comments from parents who thought the school had missed an opportunity in not allowing students to walk out of the building (students walked out of class and into the gym), but Scarice said the goal for the day was to give students a voice, keep events age-appropriate, and keep students safe, which meant keeping students inside the building.

On the day of the walkout, Scarice said about 70 percent of DHHS participated; students who did not wish to participate were able to go to the library. At Polson, Scarice said a few students wanting to do something approached the principal and an event was organized to allow students to walk out of class to the gym. As for the lower grades, Scarice said it was business as usual at Brown Middle School and the elementary schools.

“That is what we have done when we have had world events impact us; we have always looked at that age group and done our best to maintain a normal day,” he said. “We can’t make assumptions about any child up to 12 years old what they might be conversing about with mom and dad at home or what they might not be conversing about.”

At the high school during the walkout, Scarice said students took advantage of talking to State Representative Noreen Kokoruda (R-101) about gun laws in Connecticut. Scarice said Kokoruda did a great job of discussing the legislation, mental health, and also the challenges that came with the legislation after Sandy Hook.

“Representative Kokoruda did a really nice job talking about the debates after Sandy Hook and she did a really nice job articulating the decisions that had to be made in certain voting districts and how it was a real bipartisan approach,” he said. “Some [legislators] literally told [Kokoruda] ‘I am going to make this vote and I am not going to be re-elected’ and that happened to a couple of her colleagues.”

BOE Chair Katie Stein said students learned a lot from Kokoruda, but were also able to take comfort in some of the information she shared.

“When she explained that [Connecticut gun laws] to students I think it gave them some comfort,” she said. “As much as this was about national support of students in Florida, it gave the kids comfort in our district to know that they live in a safer state.”

The opportunity for students to speak to politicians about this issue doesn’t stop here, according to Scarice. He said he has reached out to U.S. Representative Joe Courtney’s office and a plan is coming together.

“He is very interested in hosting a town hall event with high school students on this topic and he has also talked to his aide about doing a Hand-only event in addition to a larger venue, so that is really exciting,” he said. “I gave the students my word that if they conduct an event and they want their voices amplified, I will do my best. This is a great next step for them.”

Safety and Security

In the weeks following the shooting in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 people dead, questions and concerns have been raised about school security. At a BOE meeting earlier this month, Scarice said the district continues to rely on national and local resources to understand the best ways to prevent school shootings and understand the best ways to talk to parents, educators, and students about school shootings.

“What we are trying to help parents and educators with is what is an age appropriate response for these types of discussions,” he said. “I think it is reasonable to assume that every high school kid knows just about everything that happens from a school violence perspective. I think it’s reasonable to assume that a lot of our 7th and 8th graders have a good idea of what has been happening nationally over the past few years. I think below that we have to be very careful.”

In terms of physical security, Scarice said the district invested in security cameras and door-locking mechanisms after Sandy Hook. Following that tragedy, the Police Department reviewed the school buildings and additional security upgrades were made and a safety and security plan was put in place. The plan is designed to speed up response and slow down threats.

In addition, Scarice said the district works to maintain an inclusive school community, keep mental health resources on hand in the schools, perform regular drills and trainings, and maintain a good relationship with the Madison Police Department through the use of school resource officers (SROs).

In terms of facilities, board member Happy Marino said she wants to see the board do a better job of building the security plan into the overarching district plan.

“I think we should really get integrated and think about in terms of our own planning so when do we need to be thinking about with staff two years down the road—do we want a police officer at every school?” she asked. “For facilities, we talk about putting windows in at Polson. Do we need bullet-proof glass? Do we need to be budgeting for that so that we know the safety plan and we know what all the different pieces are so we are able to have our own five-year plan for that?”

Scarice said the point is well taken and a lot of that work will come together in the 10-year facilities plan for the district the board will receive in the coming months. Board member Seth Klaskin said in discussing school safety, its important to understand the fear students face.

“We [board members] grew up under a real firm anxiety over total nuclear annihilation,” he said. “I think by comparison, think about how we felt and that was even somewhat of a distant fear—you know, like yeah, it could happen—but the fear the kids live with today about someone potentially walking into their school and causing a problem like that I think is worse because it’s more palpable and they have seen it happen on TV and elsewhere.”

Ultimately, Scarice said not all aspects of a security plan can be discussed publicly, but he wants parents to know the district actively reviews and betters security protocols and parents can always ask questions if they have concerns.