Indiana schools use high technology and innovation to keep kids safe – WISH-TV | Indianapolis News | Indiana weather


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – John Acker has spent 26 years protecting and serving the community in law enforcement and as a school resource officer.

But over the years, he said, the conversations he has with the students he works with to keep them safe have changed. One question is often asked over and over again: “Will you protect me?”

Asked if that was a spoiler for him, Acker said, “Yes. It takes some time for you to go into your office and be able to take a breather and collect yourself.

Since the 1999 Columbine High School mass shooting, school districts across Indiana have increased their security levels. However, Acker felt, there was a strong desire from the community and others for the ultimate answer to ending all school mass shootings.

“Answer the question, ‘Why can’t you fix it?’ Because it’s always changing. That’s why we as law enforcement officers are always training, always preparing for what’s next.

In Wayne Township Schools, that arrangement is advanced technology and mental health counseling for students. Superintendent Jeff Boots showed the I-Team the improved door-to-door sensors. “One no longer needs a key, one can open the door by just clicking the sensor. One of the things people often talk about is flipping a key to open the door if there’s a situation.”

Boots said his district was awarded a $100,000 grant from the state for school safety resources. But while he says he believes in cameras, sensors, school resource officers and similar safety measures, Boots said “hardening” schools isn’t the right answer.

“Hardening schools is not the best expenditure of our resources, and it does not result in the greatest increase in safety,” the director said. “The biggest increase in safety is making sure you have things like mental health awareness, school climate, anti-bullying resources, making sure students know how to report that and have an adult to report it to.”

Ben Davis University High School and similar places say it’s because of the so-called school day effect period. The period involves students participating in club-style activities with a teacher. The clubs have a wide variety of activities including cricket, a fellowship of Christian athletes, an LGBTQ group, a jazz and soul music group and a photography group. He said students stay with a teacher throughout their high school career and that time is used to have these conversations, where students can seek support and even advice.

“It’s a great opportunity to develop that relationship and be able to have those conversations,” Butts said. And to get into some of the social-emotional conversations that we need to have to make sure that students are safe, to let them know that they have someone else they can go to and have those conversations, we have teams when incidents happen, whether it’s a car accident or a death of a student, and unfortunately we’re bringing our teams together to make sure that we can have those supports in the building. We got on really well.

But, with more grant money, Butts says, there’s always room for more resources.

“It’s a vital part of humanity and perhaps one of the greatest challenges,” he said. “We had to be very strategic and have a long-term approach to how we wanted to address school safety. … There were things you didn’t see (when you entered the building) and things you never saw.

In downtown Indianapolis, the George and Veronica Fallen Leadership Academy finds itself in a similar situation. Principal Javaris Carrion said people come to the academy and say, “It’s colorful, and they think, ‘This is great.’

From the halls to the classrooms, the academy is a vibrant atmosphere filled with the artwork of students and teachers. Carrion teachers are often encouraged to decorate their classrooms to inspire joy in their children to remember the joy of fear.

The academy reviews its safety once a quarter, and the principal said: “We’re always looking. There may not be many changes every quarter, but there is just a process of searching to make sure our buildings are safe.

Parents can come for a tour and “look around and see that there’s visibility in every room and every hallway,” Carrion said.

Still, regardless of district or location, all three men say they share the same concerns for their students.

“It pulls at your heart strings,” Carrion said. “It’s a daily reminder to keep pushing for what’s right.”

The three men asked themselves how they would react if it happened to their lives or their students.

The superintendent of Wayne Township schools said, “As a building principal, and as a superintendent, if I were in that situation[of a mass shooting]of course, no one would be in command of the incident, but it’s my responsibility to keep the kids safe, and that means putting myself in trouble.” If that means I have to do it, I’m ready to do that.

When asked how people overcome the potential fear, Acker said, “I don’t know. I don’t have a solid answer. For that. All I can say is that they are policemen who are passionate about their work and choose this profession,” said Acker. “We run into fear, we run into fire, we run into chaos. If you’re not ready to do it, it’s going to be difficult.”





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