Walla Walla Public Schools among first districts to meet state safe schools requirements

Walla Walla Public Schools among first districts to meet state safe schools requirements

Walla Walla Public Schools recently received confirmation from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs the district is 100 percent in compliance with the reporting requirements of Senate Bill 5097.

Walla Walla Public Schools is one of the first school districts in the state to have 100 percent of their school reporting completed, according to the notification.

" Walla Walla School District is among the first school districts in the state to have 100 percent of their school reporting completed," said Bruce Kuennen, Manager - Tactical Operations Support for the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. " Your district is to be commended for its efforts. It is rare."

The legislature did not authorize any additional funding to schools to complete these tasks, according to Communications Director Mark Higgins who manages the district's Safe and Civil Schools program. Higgins says it took a team effort to meet the standards.

"This confirmation from the state sends a clear message Walla Walla Public Schools, to a person, makes safety and civility a top priority," Higgins said. "I want to commend Walla Walla County Sheriff Deputy Resource Officer and Safe & Civil Schools Rapid Responder Coordinator Scott Brashear for his leadership and law enforcement skills in helping the district receive this distinction."

 Legislative changes approved in 2007 now require each Washington state school district to:

- Approve a school board policy that prohibits harassment or bullying electronically -- cyberbullying (Walla Walla Public Schools Board of Directors approved this policy revision July 22, 2008).

- Establish a safe school plan at the district-level and for each school.

- School districts must conduct an annual review of the safe school plan, and a number of other related matters, including inventory, hazardous materials, update school mapping, identify all staff trained on the nation's incident management system or incident command systems, evacuation procedures, and notification of staff on emergency procedures.

-  The district is required to file annual reports on these reviews with the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs.

- Certify all building principals on the use of the Washington "Incident Command System" - ICS.

- Provide for permitting schools to be used as "a community asset" in the event of a community-wide emergency that is not related to school operations.

- Complete and log monthly safety drills, including a drill for lockdowns, shelter-in-place, and six fire drills.