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Ensuring
that our schools and facilities are safe, secure and attractive is a
top priority for the Sacramento Unified School District. Students
cannot learn and adults cannot perform essential responsibilities if
environments are not conducive to learning and working. It is for this
reason that Sac City places such importance on having safe, secure and
attractive campuses.
Our approach to meet this most important
priority is a comprehensive one that includes prevention, intervention
and suppression of criminal activity. Safety and security require a
team effort that includes quick and practiced responses to
emergencies, campus incidents and the implementation of state law and
district policies. Prevention and intervention strategies are many and
varied. They include extensive services for families and students that
help address issues before they become problems. In addition, we help
students help themselves by offering positive activities during and
after school. We offer programs such as the 40 Development Assets, the
Navigators mentoring program, youth development and voice
opportunities and Healthy Start programs that help students develop
resilient skills to resist dangerous behaviors such as underage
drinking gang involvement.
Sac City has developed a strong network
of partners that believes and actively works with us to provide many
services and supports. Community organizations such as Mothers Against
Drunk Driving, local government agencies such as Parks and Recreation,
our bargaining units, and many others join us in creating safe
environments for learning because they realize that safety is a
community responsibility, not just a school or district
responsibility. Our committed partners collaborate with us to run our
Attendance Center, more than 40 after school programs, a Parent Crisis
Center and the Drop Out Recovery Program.
Another strategy for ensuring that we
maintain safe and secure environments for learning is by investing in
our employees, another district priority. One specific endeavor has
been our focus on enhancing the knowledge and skills of all our campus
monitors. In partnership with the Service Employee International
Union, Local 1021 we developed a curriculum and training for our
campus monitors. This training includes modules on building positive
relationships with students, cultural diversity, district policies and
legal requirements, ethics and professionalism, authority and use of
force, substance abuse recognition, intervention process, and
interview methods. Our adult school program, our local bargaining
unit, our staff and local law enforcement are to be complimented for
the strong partnership that has resulted in this exemplary program.
You may learn more about this effort by reading the story about the
training on Page 1 of this issue of The Connection.
We cannot fulfill
our mission of “Success for Every Student by Name” unless we ensure
that our schools are safe and secure. By addressing the needs of our
students, by working with our partners, by investing in our employees
and by providing comprehensive professional development opportunities
for our employees we demonstrate our commitment to learning and
student success. Our comprehensive approach is contributing to safe
schools and a safer community. I extend my personal thanks to each
member of our team and community for helping us achieve our goals for
students
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