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****** DRAFT COPY ****** Minutes Present: Ellen Margolis, Jen Zach, John Zach, Susan Morrison, Mary Thurmaier, SP School Board member, Rick Abbot, Sandy Lake, Jeanne Ver Hagen, Paula Bell, Judy Pflugradt, Diana McGinley, SP School Board, Michael O’Maera, SP School Board member, Art Reinhardt, Principal, Renae Sheibley, Bill Hettler, Linda Greene, Ed Morganroth and Michele Bjella. President Linda Greene welcomed all attending the meeting. Linda described the role and mission of PTA, which looks beyond just one school and through it’s affiliation with the National PTA organization, strives to benefit all children with it’s research base, positions and resources. The $5.00 membership fee goes a long way toward working for children (the $5.00 fee goes to the following: $3:00 to the Wisconsin State PTA, $1.75 to National PTA and $.25 to our local PTSA). Our local PTSA seeks to link with Stevens Point PTOs to support them in their efforts and concerns, to get our ideas and concerns to the District level and to give input on decisions affecting our children. Whether we like it or not, Linda urged, somebody is making decisions at various points about our children and our input is needed and valued. Introductions were made. Minutes of the April 10, 2002 meeting were presented and approved. Treasurer’s report: Ed Morganroth presented the report. The balance of funds as of 9/15/02, $1,705.57. Membership: Membership Chair, Bill Hettler urged all who haven’t joined to throw their hats into the ring and become a member. Reflections Visual Arts Contest: Chair Susan Morrison described the wonderful statewide Reflections contest in the Visual Arts, Photography, Musical Composition and Writing coming up later this fall. The theme for this year is "Signs of Courage". Superintendant Dave Schuler’s Listening Sessions: All were encouraged to attend these special listening sessions and share what you value about our School District. The dates: Sept 19 (Ben Franklin); September 23 (Jackson), September 24 (Washington) and Oct. 1 (SPASH). The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM with the program Safety and Security in Our Schools following.
Safety and Security in Our Schools Carol Landrath, Public Information and Special Projects Coordinator for Stevens Point Area Schools, began the evening by addressing the history of Stevens Point school district’s concern for all aspects of safety and security. Fire drills, Code React plans and more were part of the overall plans, until Columbine. At that point, officials needed to ask, what if…and in the Spring of 1999 an emergency Management Committee examined what was in place. Added to the plan was child abuse considerations, armed intruder procedures and anthrax. The District wanted to be prepared, if anything did happen. Landrath described the Emergency manual procedures, which were tested in a mock drill at Madison school. After testing, necessary changes and revisions were made. These procedures were made available to all involved parties, including the Police department, Health and Human Services and others. Approval was sought and obtained from FIMA and other organizations. The District has a Crisis Decision Checklist for administrators and Staff guidelines. Every school was provided with an Emergency response kit. Carol explained the Principal at each school initiates a response during a crisis. 911 is the first call, followed by the Superintendent’s office. All sectors of the staff have the information they may need such as where to locate items needed for each incident. Carol reviewed various procedures for bomb threats and the Custodians list as well. Other non-crisis safety concerns are handled by Al Hetzel, Building and Grounds department. A camera system is in place with 64 cameras at SPASH, 32 and Ben Franklin and 36 at P.J. Jacobs. Photo Ids are required for all staff, and visitors must check in at each school office to pick up a “Visitor” nametag to wear while in the building. Officer Mike Bink addressed his role and the major issues he finds as a Police Lasison at PJ Jacobs Junior High. Bink is in his fourth year with the Program and aims to make it better each year. He welcomed all questions and suggestions and shared his view that it is"our" program and we all have a stake in it. Officer Bink quoted some statistics regarding safety in the schools, concluding that school is indeed, a safe place for children. One in a million children are murdered in schools, nationwide. A child has a better chance of being hit by lightning than being shot at school. Statistics say most of the violence happens at home. Bink outlined the typical profiles of children who are likely to become violent in school. They tend to be withdrawn and tend to forecast their actions. Bink indicated that the first line of defense is the parent. He urged parents to attend to style of dress, grade patterns and music listened to. He also suggested watching what your child does on the Internet, and to be tuned to what types of things are in a child’s room, ongoingly. If you have suspicions, he urged parents to go to the principal or someone else on the staff with these red flags. Each school has a Student Services team, which stays abreast of situations and trys to keep on top of potential problems. A description of the Police Liaison role followed. Officer Bink feels it is important to greet all students at the door. This is a good way to get acquainted with more faces and to signify to students that they are entering a school environment. In his role, any incidents are taken seriously. Certainly dealing with young adults, there can be occasional sarcasm, he mentioned. If that is all there is, it may not amount to much, but officers are always vigilant. He outlined specific policies and programs at P.J. Jacobs. There is a Zero Tolerance for drugs, weapons or alcohol at school. The Quick 50 Program is in force, which awards $50 in cash when information about drugs or a weapon is given to Law enforcement. Knives are most commonly found. The Code React Program, which is a procedure to protect against intruders, the enhanced security system and the implementation of ID badges were all concrete steps the district takes to insure safety and security. The “Gang Resistance Education and Training” is taught by the liaison officers at the junior high level. At the Elementary level the Counteract Program and Gun awareness Program are offered. Officer Bink turned the topic to Bullying, with questions and comments coming from the audience. He described a continuum of behavior, and noted that there is a fine line, after which the behaviors a student shows become bullying. Students can be very cruel to each other regarding, for example, the way one dresses, talks or acts. He stressed it is a judgment call. He tries to stress with students that it is not only the action delivered but how it was received. Behavior on the bus was also mentioned and basically bus incidents should be treated as if they occurred at school. Bink covered punishments that may be necessary for various actions or misbehaviors. Depending on the seriousness of the act, the following may be necessary: In-School suspension; Out of school suspension (2 -5 days); Arrest (e.g. for disorderly conduct), along with possible suspension or expulsion. The final speaker of the evening was School Psychologist Chuck Graham from Ben Franklin Junior High. Mr. Graham stressed that safety is the number one issue for parents. There is a direct connection between the children feeling safe and secure and their learning. What is now known from Brain research indicates that students need to be in calm, safe learning environments. Schools are charged with trying to meet the needs of every child that walks into school. Graham talked about meeting the social and emotional needs of students and the staff’s role in doing so. Zero tolerance is a state of mind. As the staff walks the hall of school they all have a stake and role in this. There are many proactive ways in which the junior high has followed through. Each school, in fact, has a Student Services Team, which meets regularly to discuss students who may be having problems and to gain more information. Graham believes that one of the pros of the Stevens Point area is that we have a lot of resources that should lower the potential for violence. Within school, the Student assistance program at Ben Franklin will serve at least 300 students next year through involvement in support groups and the mentoring program. Each school’s “Core team” works to identify the support systems that will be most effective. Staff is receiving training through programs funded through grants received for this purpose. The CARE Program (“Concerned About Reaching Everyone”) is also there to assist students who do not meet Special education eligibility requirements but benefit from its support. The program concluded at approximately 8:45 PM.
Respectfully submitted, M. Bjella
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