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School Safety Update: March14, 2018

Over the past month, school safety has become one of the largest trending topics in our nation. Recent tragedies, coupled with the alarming nationwide trend of threats made by students, have set our country on edge and have placed a magnifying glass on school safety procedures.

Student safety remains a top priority in Anderson County Schools. It is the cornerstone of our mission and we have always taken it very seriously. While we cannot guarantee that Anderson County Schools will never have an incident, we can commit to ensuring that we minimize the potential and are prepared to react appropriately and swiftly in any situation. Over the past 8 years, we have made great strides in improving the safety of our schools by developing, implementing and annually revising district and individual school emergency management plans in conjunction with law enforcement, emergency management and the Kentucky Center for School Safety. As a result, we have implemented and continue to implement numerous improvements in the area of school safety. Among those:

  • -Development of a district wide safety and wellness committee that meets monthly
  • -Placement of 2 School resource officers in district
  • -Incident Command training for administrators
  • -Sally Ports
  • -Controlled access buzzer systems in use during the school day
  • -Implementation of Soft and Hard lockdown procedures
  • -Monthly, quarterly and annual drills
  • -Strategically placed laminated glass
  • -Upgraded radio and PA systems
  • -Run, Hide, Fight seminar for staff with former Kentucky State Police Captain James Stephens
  • -Multiple incident Table-Top training sessions with the Anderson County Department of Public Safety, Lawrenceburg/Anderson County Fire, Anderson County EMS, Lawrenceburg Police and the Anderson County Sheriff Department along with Anderson County Schools Administration
  • -School safety walkthroughs with local first responder agencies. 
  • -School safety audits by district staff
  • -Implementation of the STOP tip-line
  • -Updated camera systems in schools and busses
  • -Individual student threat assessment training for school counselors and psychologists
  • -2 individual school safety evaluations per year by Kentucky Center for School Safety

One of the most valuable assets we have is the relationship students have with trusted adults on campus. We encourage all students to tell someone immediately if they see anything that appears threatening. In the wake of recent events, all schools have communicated to students the seriousness of making threats and the importance of sharing information about threats or dangerous situations. Our staff members are committed to supporting your children and will continue to be vigilant.

Recently, district administration held a round table with first responders with the purpose of re-evaluating and prioritizing in-progress school safety recommendations and needs. Those in attendance in included Sheriff Joe Milam, Police Chief Mike Schell, Director of Emergency Management Bart Powell, City Fire Chief Bobby Hume, County Fire Chief Patrick Krogman, Anderson County district administration and other first responders. Recommendations received from the district safety committee, parents, citizens, staff members and students were discussed. Below are a few of the action items from that meeting:

  • -Emergency first aid training for staff
  • -Purchase of handheld “wand” metal detectors 
  • -Research into implementation of handheld “wand” metal detectors
  • -Research into fixed metal detectors
  • -Further phone system, radio, PA system and camera system updates
  • -Active Shooter training for staff
  • -Installation of Knox boxes at each building for local law enforcement and emergency management
  • -Development of a series of presentations from court system officials and law enforcement and other first responders for students 

We value your input. If you have suggestions for improvement, please share those with any district or school administrator so that they can present to the district Safety and Wellness committee at our meetings at the first of each month. Together, we will continue the tradition of ensuring that all Anderson County students are safe, reach high academic standards, and act as responsible citizens.