School safety is on the minds of parents, many of whom have been attending safety forums put on by the Washoe County School District. Monday night district officials held their last of five meetings. The meetings have been popular, and parents thanked district police and administrators for updating them on emergency plans and letting them ask questions in person.
WCSD Police Chief Mike Mieras says the meetings have also been productive. "What's really great about these safety forums is we get to see through the lenses of a parent and the parents get to ask questions and we get input back from them as well. And we tell them what we do as a district in the areas of emergency management," he said.
Superintendent Pedro Martinez said the district is pleased with the parental interest and interaction. "We've had great suggestions about how we handle visitors -- really good lessons there. One of the other forums we had they talked about the fact that we don't train day-to-day substitutes, which is something we hadn't thought about, so we're getting some great ideas," Martinez said.
The district has detailed safety plans in place for each school, and has implemented physical boundaries -- such as fences at some schools, to provide a single point of entry. One popular topic: how to keep classrooms safe from intruders. At least two people suggested training certain staff at each school so they could carry a concealed weapon. Kelly Main spoke as a teacher and a parent. She would like to see selected staff get weapons training. "So they can respond if they're properly trained to the same level as an officer," she said. "It's already allowed under Nevada law for them to do so. It's the only piece that's missing of all the great things the district is doing. The teachers have to have a tool, or else they become a human shield," Main added.
District police have been explaining the different drills that are conducted at each school -- to teach students and faculty how to respond in case of an emergency.The district has plans in place for earthquakes, floods, fires and in case of an active attacker. Input from the meetings will be given to members of the school board, and policies could result from the series of safety forums.
Written by Jennifer Burton
