Friday, September 21, 2018

Results of Parent Safety Meeting




Hello!

We had 7 parents meet in person yesterday, and heard from 3-4 others via email or phone. We discussed the history of the safety measures that have taken place at JCP since 2013. We discussed the one blaring safety issue remaining, that being the unsecured campus when students are present before school. I believe that all parents present agreed that it is a significant concern. A couple voiced their opinions that they stills preferred to have it open to parents. One parent (in person), and 2 others via email expressed that they feel the campus should be students-only after 8:05 am, unless the parent has a reason for being there (volunteering in the classroom, scheduled meeting, student with significant anxiety, etc.). We looked at a pros/cons list that was created by staff and parents, and brainstormed options. We could only come up with two possible solutions.

Option A: No parents allowed on campus before school unless they have a scheduled reason to be, and have checked in through the office.

Option B: Purchase a program/system that allows parents to physically wear a lanyard with a badge that has their picture on it, and a barcode they can scan into the machine that automatically checks them in, and checks their background clearance. This would allow parents to access the playgrounds in the mornings with students, keeping the hallways and courtyard free of students and parents before school.

We don’t like Option A because of how it feels very exclusive to families, but it does solve every single one of our safety concerns. And it’s cost effective (free) and simple to manage.

We like Option B because it lets us know and control exactly who is on campus. It doesn’t solve all of our safety concerns (such as with still having that many extra people on campus before school) but it does eliminate one of our biggest concerns.

There are a couple of things that may not allow Option B to work: Cost and feasibility. The district is in the process of piloting one of these types of systems already, and if they have good success with it, it’ll move to each building. We are looking at this system now to see if we can use it to do what we need. We need to be able to enter every parent’s background clearance into the system, and then issue ID cards. This may be a huge cost and may require a lot of manpower, or it may be simple and relatively painless. Over the next week we hope to have answers to these questions.

Our next steps: Research Option B and see how much it’ll cost, if we can accomplish what we need to accomplish, and how quickly it could be actually implemented.

We appreciate your support and help in trying to find a resolution for this issue. And we appreciate those of you who are trying to see things from our perspective, even if that means possibly 15 minutes less snuggle time with your little ones before school. :)

7 comments:

  1. I definitely think the open campus in the morning is a huge safety concern, and I am happy it is finally being addressed. I like option B because then it would at least leave the option for parents who feel it is important to be on campus in the a.m. A possibility to deflect the cost factor could be charging a small fee for the parent badges.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like both your options. I'm grateful for those that have met with you to discuss this. I would understand doing option A until the new building is finished. Safety First! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love option B, it would be nice to have the badges and work with all three schools. What I mean by this is when my daughter moves to the SIS that that same badge would work there, essentially having the same system at every school. I would love to help any way I can!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I do feel that the campus now is a safety concern. I do like option A because it seems like the more efficient/effective. Like you mention above " it does solve every single one of our safety concerns. And it’s cost effective (free) and simple to manage." This does make the most sense. With option b we would have to worry about parents/adults losing their badges or forgetting them. And option b does not solve all safety concerns like option A. I am thinking of the safety of not only my child but all the kids at John Campbell.

    ReplyDelete
  5. At this point in time I like option A as we are counting down the time before the construction of the new school. Option B could be better utilized and designed into the new school,so operating in an economical manner now makes more sense. If the money is spent now on a badging system that does not integrate seamlessly into the new school building then that money is lost in just 2 years time. Yes the safety of our children comes before the concern of money spent to do so, but many who want this now will be the first to cry when the system is obsolete in the new building. As the saying goes "penny wise, pound foolish"

    ReplyDelete
  6. I can understand the concern of having an open campus for some but based on my experience I would not agree with closing the campus completely in the morning. Personally, I would love to drive my daughter through the pickup line and watch her run into school, happy as can be. And after the first couple of weeks she asked to do so, and so I did exactly that. After school that day she told me she did not want to do that again, she didn’t like being on the playground alone and trying to get to class by herself. So from that day on I’ve walked her in, watched her play on the playground and walked with her to class. And I remind her regularly if she ever wants to do it herself she is more than welcome to! But I want her to feel comfortable and safe going to class and will walk with her until she is ready for me to stop.
    So I feel closing the campus in the mornings would be very upsetting for the kids who want the parent to take them to class, it is the most overwhelming part of the day because all of the grades are out at the same time and from the perspective of a 5 year old I can see that’s too much for her to process. So while I think it would be a good idea to close all of the open gates before school, I believe the parent should still have the option to take their kid in through the front and wait with them on the playground even if they have no other reason to be there. I have a completed background check and would be more than willing to sign in every day to keep kids safe outside. But I would not want to rip that comfort from my child and create even more of a gap between home and the school by not being able to provide her with what she is asking me to do.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Eight hundred kids means eight hundred different needs.
    I appreciated the first response on this post, that suggested parents pay a small fee for their clearance ID/lanyard. I believe this further ensures that these parents feel they have a reason to be there; whatever it may be.

    Likewise, if the computer system is too costly, a very similar cheaper concept, would be to have a staff member(s) in place of a computer-until the new school is built. Parents Who have clearance can just flash their ID to the tenant at the doorway-if they forget it, and are not recognized by staff-then they need to say goodbye at the door to their child.

    Also, if the gates are immediately locked after the bus riders walk through the gates...then there should only be one way in and out of campus(??not sure.) Apparently the school has quite the camera system, so put it to use...and do a sweep to ensure everyone is out...remind people "you are on camera."

    I see both sides of this issue very clearly-and hope we can come up with a plan to make everyone feel safe and happy.

    I'm a Mom who walks my kids to class...I've helped many other kids get to class, helped a bleeding child to the nurse's office, praised countless children for 'good' behavior, put my body between kids fighting at poles, consoled kids who are crying and lost...the list goes on.
    It's my opinion that most of the time more eyes is a good thing...and I would be grateful if any good intentioned parent did these things for my children. So I'm a supporter of option B.

    Thanks for reading��.

    ReplyDelete