School safety coordinator: prevention is key
New safety measures for Madison City Schools have been implemented to ensure school safety since the school’s task force created the safety coordinator position in August.
The Text-to-Protect line, new cameras and two new police officers, in addition to the adaption of the no bullying policy have all been successful so far, according to Dennis James, student support, safety, security and communications coordinator.
James’s position was one of the first safety measures taken in response to the shooting death of a Discovery Middle School student last February.
He said his main duty is to form the most secure environment possible for the city’s schools.
“I’m trying to build a proactive team and approach in keeping students safe,” said James, who previously served as Principal at Columbia Elementary School for six years. “The more we can get kids to communicate, the better chance we have in preventing something from happening. A big part is opening up communications with students and doing a better outreach with the community and parents.”
James said in the long run, prevention is key to safety and not response.
“It’s much more valuable to prevent, so when we’re looking at our priorities, we’re really trying to be proactive and preventive as possible,” he said. “To provide the prevention, we are tying to build the environment we should have had all along.”
The Madison School Safety Task Force introduced a 32-step plan to handle deal more closely with safety issues. James said so far, nine of those steps have been taken, and some will take time. He said some steps wouldn’t ever be complete because they are ongoing.
Another measure Dennis said he is taking is to make someone available for students to turn to when they’re in need of help. That’s where the two new police officers, or school resource officers, come in. James said while they could provide security, their main purpose is to mentor, teach and be a resource for students and faculty.
“We want students to understand that police are their friend,” he said. “The more trusted adults that students have, the safer we’re going to be. There needs to be multiple people available for them in a building so they’ll have more opportunities to express their concerns.”
In an education effort, selected fifth and sixth graders were trained on how to become leaders in the initiative, so they could go back and change the climate in their schools, James said.
He also mentioned that the MTV teen-help show “If You Really Knew Me” is scheduled to visit Madison February.
“Our number one job is educated children and a lot goes into that,” he said. “Principals and teachers are asked to do a ton of work, and this position helps alleviate some of their problems. They now have someone who can be a resource.”
