School Safety FAQs
Overview
A school safety community forum was held on November 14th, which you can watch a recording of here.
This forum brought together district leadership and law enforcement partners to discuss our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of our students and staff. The event covered a range of topics, including crisis prevention, emergency response plans, and security measures. You can find answers to questions asked or submitted during the forum below.
Q&A’s will continue to evolve as frequently asked questions are received.
General
- How are you going to stop students from bringing firearms and weapons to school?
- Where are these kids getting the guns? Why aren't the gun owners being charged? Why does the sheriff's office think that charges against the parents are unlikely?
- While locked doors keep out unwanted visitors, how are you addressing violence that is happening within the schools?
- What are you doing to prevent school shootings?
- What are your post-event strategies to ensure the remaining (non-expelled) students are not experiencing heightened anxiety and school avoidance?
- What does "connect with mental health professionals" mean here? How are mental health professionals engaged?
How are you going to stop students from bringing firearms and weapons to school?
Where are these kids getting the guns? Why aren't the gun owners being charged? Why does the sheriff's office think that charges against the parents are unlikely?
While locked doors keep out unwanted visitors, how are you addressing violence that is happening within the schools?
What are you doing to prevent school shootings?
What are your post-event strategies to ensure the remaining (non-expelled) students are not experiencing heightened anxiety and school avoidance?
What does "connect with mental health professionals" mean here? How are mental health professionals engaged?
- How do we measure up to the other districts in terms of school safety problems?
- When will tourniquets be in the emergency kits on all campuses & Stop the Bleed training be provided?
- Will there be any changes to the open campus policies?
- Is run, hide, fight how we respond to active shooters?
- Knowing that student mental health is an issue, why did we discontinue Hazel Health? Is there another option that gives students the same opportunity for help that Hazel Health did?
- Could clear backpacks be required of all students until the funding and updates to cameras and other proactive measures can be implemented?
How do we measure up to the other districts in terms of school safety problems?
When will tourniquets be in the emergency kits on all campuses & Stop the Bleed training be provided?
Will there be any changes to the open campus policies?
Is run, hide, fight how we respond to active shooters?
Knowing that student mental health is an issue, why did we discontinue Hazel Health? Is there another option that gives students the same opportunity for help that Hazel Health did?
Could clear backpacks be required of all students until the funding and updates to cameras and other proactive measures can be implemented?
Discipline Process
- Are offending students removed from all Puyallup schools, and for how long? Are there any other real- life consequences? What is the re-entry process when these students are allowed back to school? Are families alerted?
- When expelled, does the student just move to another school in the district?
- Are out-of-district transfer students who bring weapons expelled from their home district as well? Can a student who is expelled from a neighboring district for bringing a gun to school enroll in our school district?
- How are you going to hold students accountable for physical and verbal threats to staff and students?
Are offending students removed from all Puyallup schools, and for how long? Are there any other real- life consequences? What is the re-entry process when these students are allowed back to school? Are families alerted?
When expelled, does the student just move to another school in the district?
Are out-of-district transfer students who bring weapons expelled from their home district as well? Can a student who is expelled from a neighboring district for bringing a gun to school enroll in our school district?
How are you going to hold students accountable for physical and verbal threats to staff and students?
Communications
- How do you / will you transparently inform parents and stakeholders of immediate safety occurrences?
- What is the district’s definition of “intent to harm?”
- What improvements are being made to make sure parents of 9th graders who attend high school for 6th period are being communicated with?
- Will you continue to include specific education points in regard to gun safety/secure storage as you communicate future incidents?
- How can you send emergency notifications to employees more quickly, so we don’t have to learn about issues from the evening news?
- How can the district improve upon its communication of threat incidents to all families of children on that campus, not just families of the children who attend that specific school?
How do you / will you transparently inform parents and stakeholders of immediate safety occurrences?
What is the district’s definition of “intent to harm?”
What improvements are being made to make sure parents of 9th graders who attend high school for 6th period are being communicated with?
Will you continue to include specific education points in regard to gun safety/secure storage as you communicate future incidents?
How can you send emergency notifications to employees more quickly, so we don’t have to learn about issues from the evening news?
How can the district improve upon its communication of threat incidents to all families of children on that campus, not just families of the children who attend that specific school?
School Buildings
- The "vestibules" are a waste of resources. If you look at past school violence, 90% of the shooters would have been let in.
- Portables at some elementary schools have direct access to the public. How will students and staff be kept safe in these vulnerable environments?
- Are there plans to install additional cameras at schools?
- Will the District ever consider installing metal detectors, at least at junior high and high schools? If not, why?
- Are surveillance camera recordings kept on file forever?
The "vestibules" are a waste of resources. If you look at past school violence, 90% of the shooters would have been let in.
Portables at some elementary schools have direct access to the public. How will students and staff be kept safe in these vulnerable environments?
Are there plans to install additional cameras at schools?
Will the District ever consider installing metal detectors, at least at junior high and high schools? If not, why?
Are surveillance camera recordings kept on file forever?
- What does a student do if a situation happens on the 3rd floor?
- Why do our schools not have fences that are high enough to make them difficult to scale?
- Could you explain how Rogers High School is a secure campus? Are the doors locked? When will schools that do not have secure entries, such as PHS, be addressed and resolved?
- Can the district utilize the same security measures at the Kessler Center, Karshner Museum and ESC?
What does a student do if a situation happens on the 3rd floor?
Why do our schools not have fences that are high enough to make them difficult to scale?
Could you explain how Rogers High School is a secure campus? Are the doors locked? When will schools that do not have secure entries, such as PHS, be addressed and resolved?
Can the district utilize the same security measures at the Kessler Center, Karshner Museum and ESC?
School Resource Officers
- What does the Resource Officer do in the event of a gun being brought to school?
- If law enforcement cannot interview minors without an attorney present, how can you know intent and that there was no threat to the school?
What does the Resource Officer do in the event of a gun being brought to school?
If law enforcement cannot interview minors without an attorney present, how can you know intent and that there was no threat to the school?
- How do you know that resource officers are in schools creating relationships with students, as opposed to sitting in their cars?
- If less than half of the schools are in Puyallup proper, why do we have the same number of SROs from Puyallup PD and Pierce County? Are school resource officers only at high schools and jr highs?
How do you know that resource officers are in schools creating relationships with students, as opposed to sitting in their cars?
If less than half of the schools are in Puyallup proper, why do we have the same number of SROs from Puyallup PD and Pierce County? Are school resource officers only at high schools and jr highs?
Training
- Are there plans to give employees emergency preparedness training outside of the drills the students have? Is there a specific training curriculum for teachers/staff on active attack events?
- Since law enforcement cannot conduct active attack training on campuses with students present, are students involved in any of the staff training or drills for active attacks?