Good Morning AIS Families and Friends,
I wanted to update you on some security and safety changes that will be taking effect immediately. Following the tragedy in Nashville at the Covenant School, there has been a lot of discussion about our school safety. At both the school and district levels we work constantly through out the year to plan and train for our school systems safety. We are very fortunate to have a great partnership with our Alcoa Police Department who provides us with three outstanding School Resource Officers. However, safety is always an ongoing issue that we want to consider from every possible angle.
With that in mind we wanted to be responsive to several parent concerns and safety team items that have recently been reviewed. Our primary focus in our school is the current front entry. In terms of facility structure, our front office and entry into the building is less than ideal. However that will be rectified as we are able to move the main entry of the building to the new addition beginning next school year. But the issue remains of how to do a better job over the last few weeks of this school year. After much discussion we have set new protocols how to check visitors and allow entrance not only for AIS but for all of our districts schools.
We will begin using these protocols immediately. They include the following steps:
*All visitors will be greeted using the intercom system and asked how they can be helped.
*Visitors will be instructed to go to the front office and will be greeted by office staff again.
*All visitors will be asked to show ID before checking out a student. This will be asked even if we know the visitor.
*Visitors other than parent/guardian will be verified in our student management system to ensure they are on that students approved list for pick up.
*Any unknown or strange visitors who request entry will be greeted at the door by administration/SRO.
There are several more internal protocols that will be used by staff to reinforce safety and security. Many of these items were already being used, but we want to put extra emphasis on being consistent each time a visitor enters our building. We realize that some of these tasks may cause some inconvenience for parents and guardians, but we also know that each of you want to have confidence that your child is safe while at school. I appreciate your patience and assistance as we implement these protocols.
In addition there are several other measures that we have taken to increase the safety of our school environment. We have ordered three new AED devices, advanced first aid kits which will be assigned to each classroom, and a utility cart for the nurse and behavior staff to use for field trips, emergencies, etc.
We hope each of you know how much we love your children and want to strive to keep Alcoa Intermediate School a safe, secure, and positive environment for all our students and staff.
Hope you all have a great day,
Tony Spears
I wanted to update you on some security and safety changes that will be taking effect immediately. Following the tragedy in Nashville at the Covenant School, there has been a lot of discussion about our school safety. At both the school and district levels we work constantly through out the year to plan and train for our school systems safety. We are very fortunate to have a great partnership with our Alcoa Police Department who provides us with three outstanding School Resource Officers. However, safety is always an ongoing issue that we want to consider from every possible angle.
With that in mind we wanted to be responsive to several parent concerns and safety team items that have recently been reviewed. Our primary focus in our school is the current front entry. In terms of facility structure, our front office and entry into the building is less than ideal. However that will be rectified as we are able to move the main entry of the building to the new addition beginning next school year. But the issue remains of how to do a better job over the last few weeks of this school year. After much discussion we have set new protocols how to check visitors and allow entrance not only for AIS but for all of our districts schools.
We will begin using these protocols immediately. They include the following steps:
*All visitors will be greeted using the intercom system and asked how they can be helped.
*Visitors will be instructed to go to the front office and will be greeted by office staff again.
*All visitors will be asked to show ID before checking out a student. This will be asked even if we know the visitor.
*Visitors other than parent/guardian will be verified in our student management system to ensure they are on that students approved list for pick up.
*Any unknown or strange visitors who request entry will be greeted at the door by administration/SRO.
There are several more internal protocols that will be used by staff to reinforce safety and security. Many of these items were already being used, but we want to put extra emphasis on being consistent each time a visitor enters our building. We realize that some of these tasks may cause some inconvenience for parents and guardians, but we also know that each of you want to have confidence that your child is safe while at school. I appreciate your patience and assistance as we implement these protocols.
In addition there are several other measures that we have taken to increase the safety of our school environment. We have ordered three new AED devices, advanced first aid kits which will be assigned to each classroom, and a utility cart for the nurse and behavior staff to use for field trips, emergencies, etc.
We hope each of you know how much we love your children and want to strive to keep Alcoa Intermediate School a safe, secure, and positive environment for all our students and staff.
Hope you all have a great day,
Tony Spears