CONCERN. SCHOOL SAFETY A HUGE CONCERN AS STUDENTS AND PARENTS PREPARE FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR AT APS. I CAN PUT IN CAMERAS, I CAN PUT IN METAL DETECTORS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? IT DOESN’T STOP SOMEBODY FROM OPENING A DOOR AT THE BACK OF THE SCHOOL AND LETTING SOMEBODY IN METAL DETECTORS NOW UP FOR DISCUSSION. BUT APS WORRIES IT MAY NOT BE AS EFFECTIVE. OUR SCHOOLS HAVE MULTIPLE POINTS OF ACCESS. I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH HOW WE’RE GOING TO TAKE OUR REALLY LARGE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE MAYBE 75 ENTRANCES AND GET THAT DOWN TO A MANAGEABLE AMOUNT AND GET SAY, 2000 KIDS THROUGH THAT DETECTOR IN THE MORNING. IN FEBRUARY, POLICE RESPONDED TO A SHOOTING HOAX THAT FORCED SCHOOLS FROM ALBUQUERQUE TO SANTA FE. EVEN IF IT IS A HOAX, OUR CHILDREN ARE IN THERE AND WE’RE BEING TOLD THAT THERE COULD BE AN ACTIVE SHOOTER IN THERE. AND THEY’RE NOT TELLING US ANYTHING. A MOTHER DESPERATE FOR ANSWERS SAYS SHE VOICED FRUSTRATION WITH COMMUNICATION FROM APS. I GET A MILLION MESSAGES FROM APS A DAY. THEY CAN’T FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TEXT US SAYING THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON AT YOUR STUDENT’S SCHOOL RIGHT NOW BEFORE THAT FALSE ALARM TO WEST MESA HIGH, STUDENTS BROUGHT GUNS ONTO SCHOOL GROUNDS JUST WEEKS APART. WE’RE TIED UP IN THE MOMENT OF TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE ISSUE. EVACUATION PRACTICES IN EFFECT FOUR TIMES A YEAR. EVERY SCHOOL HAS A SITE SAFETY PLAN, WHICH HAS DIFFERENT EVACUATION ROUTES AND THEN WE HAVE REUNIFICATION SITES. SUPERINTENDENT SCOTT ELDER SAYS COMMUNITY ACTION WILL IMPROVE. WE’RE TRYING TO REALLY WORK IN THE TEXT MESSAGING AS WELL BECAUSE THAT’S BECOME SUCH A GOOD WAY TO COMMUNICATE, BUT REMINDS PARENTS TO UNDERSTAND AS THEY WORK TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF STUDENTS. WE’VE HAD PEOPLE, SO I’D LIKE AN UPDATE EVERY FIVE MINUTES.
Metal detector concerns as APS addresses school safety
“I can put in metal detectors, but that doesn’t stop somebody from opening a door at the back of the school and letting somebody in,” Elder said
Albuquerque Public Schools held its second exposition at Berna Facio Professional Development Center on July 21. With roughly two weeks left until the new school year, APS superintendent Scott Elder addressed various questions and concerns. School safety, including guns on school campuses and shooting hoaxes, is a concern as students and parents prepare for the new school year on Aug. 3. According to APS, there were 17 incidents involving guns on school grounds last school year. “We’ve had 17-gun incidents this (last) school year,” APS Chief of Schools Dr. Chanell Segura said in an interview with KOAT June 8. Related articles on KOAT.comNew expulsion school rules to crack down on gunsSeveral New Mexico schools receive hoax shooting callsTeen arrested for bringing guns to an Albuquerque schoolBernalillo County D.A. unveils anti-gun initiative for schoolsGov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs gun legislation into law Metal Detectors According to APS, metal detectors in Albuquerque Public Schools have been discussed, but Elder worries it may not be as effective due to various reasons. “Last year, we brought a couple of agencies in to show us different types of devices. Some are metal detectors, some are not. The biggest issue with that is when you think of Albuquerque, we built out, not up, so our schools have multiple points of access,” Elder said. “A lot of places back east have on entrance door, so you can do a metal detector, because you can put someone there to monitor it. The metal detectors are effective if there’s someone there to hear it going off.””I have an issue with how we’re going to take our really large schools that have maybe 75 entrances and get that down to a manageable amount and get 2000 kids through that detector in the morning.””Think about how long it takes you to get through TSA, where they have eight and multiple people to check and support. I can’t imagine that at one or two access points. It’s a little harder for that, but we are actually looking at different types of devices and trying to figure out how we can get those into our schools,” Elder said.Communication improvement between APS and Parents”We will continue to communicate as rapidly and as effectively as we can,” Elder said. According to APS, new communication measures have been updated in APS student handbook.”Our communications department put out a plan this year. We created a series of template letters. We also have information for parents in the student handbook exactly how communication will occur,” Elder said. “Parents are a key component in school safety. It’s talking to your kids and making sure they’re telling you what they’re hearing and what they’re seeing, because we tell our students, see something, say something.”Communication measuresSchool MessengerE-mailPhone callsAccording to APS, text messaging could be a new form of communication as they work to evolve and improve communication during incident-related issues. “We’re trying to really work in the text messaging, because that’s become such a good way to communicate,” Elder said.Understanding logistics of an incident unfolding”We’ve had people say, oh, I’d like an update every 5 minutes. Oftentimes in those events, you simply can’t do that,” Elder said.”Parents need to understand that sometimes when these events are occurring, they’re ongoing, so they’re fast-paced. We’re tied up in the moment of trying to deal with the issue,” Elder said. “The communication may be a little slow in the parent’s mind, but we feel we’re trying to get it out as fast as we can, but we want it correct as well. You don’t want to put out erroneous information. You either scare people or create a worse situation with the data.”Evacuations “We practice evacuations at least four times a year,” Elder said.”Every school has a site safety plan which has different evacuation routes planned. Then, we have reunification sites. We notify the parents to get the kids of the school or to the reunification point and we dismiss from there,” Elder said. “We work very closely with APD and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, because both those agencies are very active in our schools.””We train a lot, and we work very carefully with both of those agencies to make sure we’re aligned in our response so that all three agencies, APS, APD and BCSO understand what we’re doing and how we can work together to keep people safe,” Elder said.For more information, visit APS schools.
Albuquerque Public Schools held its second exposition at Berna Facio Professional Development Center on July 21. With roughly two weeks left until the new school year, APS superintendent Scott Elder addressed various questions and concerns.
School safety, including guns on school campuses and shooting hoaxes, is a concern as students and parents prepare for the new school year on Aug. 3. According to APS, there were 17 incidents involving guns on school grounds last school year.
“We’ve had 17-gun incidents this (last) school year,” APS Chief of Schools Dr. Chanell Segura said in an interview with KOAT June 8.
Related articles on KOAT.com
Metal Detectors
According to APS, metal detectors in Albuquerque Public Schools have been discussed, but Elder worries it may not be as effective due to various reasons.
“Last year, we brought a couple of agencies in to show us different types of devices. Some are metal detectors, some are not. The biggest issue with that is when you think of Albuquerque, we built out, not up, so our schools have multiple points of access,” Elder said. “A lot of places back east have on entrance door, so you can do a metal detector, because you can put someone there to monitor it. The metal detectors are effective if there’s someone there to hear it going off.”
“I have an issue with how we’re going to take our really large schools that have maybe 75 entrances and get that down to a manageable amount and get 2000 kids through that detector in the morning.”
“Think about how long it takes you to get through TSA, where they have eight and multiple people to check and support. I can’t imagine that at one or two access points. It’s a little harder for that, but we are actually looking at different types of devices and trying to figure out how we can get those into our schools,” Elder said.
Communication improvement between APS and Parents
“We will continue to communicate as rapidly and as effectively as we can,” Elder said.
According to APS, new communication measures have been updated in APS student handbook.
“Our communications department put out a plan this year. We created a series of template letters. We also have information for parents in the student handbook exactly how communication will occur,” Elder said. “Parents are a key component in school safety. It’s talking to your kids and making sure they’re telling you what they’re hearing and what they’re seeing, because we tell our students, see something, say something.”
Communication measures
- School Messenger
- Phone calls
- According to APS, text messaging could be a new form of communication as they work to evolve and improve communication during incident-related issues.
“We’re trying to really work in the text messaging, because that’s become such a good way to communicate,” Elder said.
Understanding logistics of an incident unfolding
“We’ve had people say, oh, I’d like an update every 5 minutes. Oftentimes in those events, you simply can’t do that,” Elder said.
“Parents need to understand that sometimes when these events are occurring, they’re ongoing, so they’re fast-paced. We’re tied up in the moment of trying to deal with the issue,” Elder said. “The communication may be a little slow in the parent’s mind, but we feel we’re trying to get it out as fast as we can, but we want it correct as well. You don’t want to put out erroneous information. You either scare people or create a worse situation with the data.”
Evacuations
“We practice evacuations at least four times a year,” Elder said.
“Every school has a site safety plan which has different evacuation routes planned. Then, we have reunification sites. We notify the parents to get the kids of the school or to the reunification point and we dismiss from there,” Elder said. “We work very closely with APD and Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, because both those agencies are very active in our schools.”
“We train a lot, and we work very carefully with both of those agencies to make sure we’re aligned in our response so that all three agencies, APS, APD and BCSO understand what we’re doing and how we can work together to keep people safe,” Elder said.
For more information, visit APS schools.
