Worland continues work on school safety

WORLAND — Washakie County School District No. 1 Superintendent David Nicholas provided updates on the efforts to make the Worland schools safer.

Nicholas told the board of trustees Monday night that the fencing around the shop/agriculture area has been completed in time for the start of the school. He said due to the nature of the shops the bay doors are usually open so the perimeter needed to be secured.

CAMERAS

New cameras were installed throughout the district this summer in a project previously approved by the district. In February, the board approved an upgrade to the district surveillance system for $167,900. The project included replacing and upgrading all cameras in the district. Business Manager Jack Stott said during the February meeting that currently there is only exterior cameras at the three elementary schools. The project calls for adding interior cameras.

There are already interior and exterior cameras at the middle school and high school but additional cameras will be added at both schools to increase coverage.

The new cameras are high definition cameras. With the new cameras there are now more than 200 cameras throughout the district.

Worland High School Principal Wade Sanford thanked the board for the new cameras.

ALICE TRAINING

Nicholas, two law enforcement officers and two principals will be attending ALICE training in Riverton Sept. 11-12.

“We’ll train the district when we get back,” Nicholas said. “We’ll be very mindful of making sure our parents and students are comfortable because it will be a little different. We don’t want any student to be nervous, we do this to make them safe.”

According to the website, alicetraining.com, ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training instructor-led classes provide preparation and a plan for individuals and organizations on how to more proactively handle the threat of an aggressive intruder or active shooter event. Whether it is an attack by an individual person or by an international group of professionals intent on conveying a political message through violence, ALICE Training option-based tactics have become the accepted response, versus the traditional ‘lockdown only’ approach.”

Nicholas also reported that conversations are ongoing with the Washakie County Sheriff’s Office for a full-time school resource officer for the Worland district. Currently the school resource officer splits time between District 1 and District 2 (Ten Sleep).

Earlier the district announced it would not have any doors propped open during the school day.

Trustee Dean Dupree said he noticed two doors unlocked during the day. Worland Middle School Principal Ryan Clark said anyone noticing a door unlocked should notify the front office immediately. “We will rectify that immediately and we will find out why it was unlocked,” Clark said.

He noted the school resource officer has been checking the doors.

With all the changes, Nicholas said, “The most important thing out of all of this is when a kid is getting into trouble to identify that and get them some help. I think that message needs to be continual.”

Trustee Duane Whitlock asked on the mental health piece what exactly is the district doing and how is the district getting the message to the community and the students.

Nicholas said the district’s Olweus training, the district’s bullying prevention program, encourages students to tell an adult at school and at home.

“It’s just getting kids to talk and continue to message that. ‘You have to talk, you have to let someone know. It’s not OK to keep that to yourself. If you know something, you have to say something,’” Nicholas said.

Trustee Anna Venable asked if students and parents are reminded about Safe2Tell on a regular basis. The principals said students are reminded at the start of the school.

Safe2Tell Wyoming allows students to “confidentially report anything that concerns or threatens you, your friends, your family or your community,” according to the website, safe2tellwy.org.

Reports can be made via a toll-free number, 1-844-996-7233, through the mobile app or through the website.

The Wyoming program was started on Oct. 26, 2016. Since the start, through April 2018, according to data on the website, Safe2Tell Wyoming received 1,272 reports throughout the state. Reports included suicide threats, drugs, bullying, self harm, depression, sexting, child abuse, alcohol, assault, sexual assault, human trafficking, fighting, threats of violence, sexual misconduct, school complaint, planned fights, harassment, gun, dating violence, cyber bullying, vandalism, stealing, homicide, planned school attacks, weapons, anger issues and more.

Safe2Tell Wyoming is a partnership with Wyoming Attorney General’s Office, Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, Wyoming Highway Patrol, and the Wyoming Department of Education to engage key stakeholders and empower young people to be part of the solution of school and community safety.