At the board meeting held on October 19th, the school board took final action on the joint hiring and assignment of a school resource officer (SRO) with the City of Hudson. That means beginning November 1, the school district will have a full time, uniformed police officer in the school district. When looking across the landscape of schools in Iowa, it is somewhat unique for a school district the size of Hudson to have a full time police officer. Do we make this decision because we see a crime problem in our school district? Not even close. We do this to add to our layers of safety and school security. We do this to add one more 'tool' in our toolbox of continued efforts to maintain a safe learning environment.
The board was clear in their deliberations that our SRO will primarily be focused on relationship building and being a physical presence in our buildings. You will see him at recess, in the lunchroom, and roaming the hallways. You will see him helping with classroom instruction and reading with and to students. What you will not see him doing is acting as a disciplinarian. Of this the school board was very clear: school discipline will continue to be the responsibility of building principals.
The origins of this program began last spring. It was on May 25th when a parent emailed me to inquire whether or not the district would be installing metal detectors at the entrances to Hudson Schools. Why the question, you may ask? May 24th was the date of the Uvalde mass shooting. As it was, school in Hudson had been dismissed for exactly one day and our teachers were finishing their end of year checkout with building principals. It was to be a day of celebration, joy, and anticipation. The warm days of summer beckoned and our teachers were very much looking forward to the days ahead. Yet it was difficult for us all to come to grips, once again, with another school shooting. But our feelings of sadness certainly paled in comparison to our colleagues in Texas.
From a practical standpoint, installing metal detectors is unlikely to assuage concerns of most people, and may in fact prove to be counterproductive. However, I understand the genesis of this inquiry. We too have the same concerns. The fact is, we are committed to ensuring a safe learning environment for all our students and the employees who work here. It was only a few days following that Chief Banks and I sat down for our first of many conversations about the utility of an SRO. We discussed personnel, the job description, and specific work activities. Over the course of those summer and fall months, the city and the school district fine tuned the agreement and hammered out the financial obligations of each entity. It was a good discussion, the fruits of which will make both our school and community stronger.
But it is important to note the implementation of the SRO program is but one component in our arsenal of school safety and building security.
First and foremost, it is important for you all to know that we have a plan. But the contents, procedures, and protocols included in that plan are mostly confidential. Students are aware of the plan and age appropriate exercises are conducted across the district annually. At the same time, portions of these plans are closely held by a core group that would be responsible for logistics and execution. We have, and continue to conduct 'table top' drills with those who have expertise outside our internal sphere of ability. For obvious reasons, disclosing those plans, particularly on a forum such as this would be irresponsible. This spring we have scheduled vulnerability assessment through the Iowa Department of Homeland Security. The results of which will be used to improve on the security measures of the district.
When we finished the renovation of the K-8 attendance center, we planned for that construction to include the secure entrance that is the centerpiece of the building. During that same project, all the exterior doors were replaced throughout the district. These doors are all locked during the day and we have the ability to monitor their status remotely. If a door is propped open, it alerts district officials who are able to address the situation. Planning for the high school renovation is now well underway. As you are aware, a secured entrance similar to that at the K-8 attendance center will be a design feature for this building.
Long before I arrived, we held the belief, or Core Purpose that 'We Create Effective Learning Environments that Result in Success of All Students'. Indeed, an effective learning environment and safe learning environment are synonymous with one another.
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