Madison Reporter

The foundation of any safe school is a strong sense of community, where every student, staff member, and visitor feels supported, respected, and valued emotionally and physically. MMSD’s District Safety Plan 2023-26 outlines a proactive approach to school safety that focuses on creating a positive and secure climate using methods of prevention, protection, and recovery.

“Feeling safe in schools is foundational for students to be able to focus on learning and growing,” MMSD’s Office of School Safety Co-Director Gina Aguglia said. “There are many aspects that go into building that foundation, from staff-student relationships to practicing safety protocols and connecting with the greater community.”

**Prevention: Building a Positive School Culture**

School safety begins with proactively eliminating or reducing the likelihood of unsafe behaviors or events from taking place, whether at school, at home, or in the community. MMSD partners with multiple agencies and platforms to achieve this, including:

- SPEAK UP, SPEAK OUT, an anonymous reporting system available 24/7 created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

- Securely, an online monitoring tool that flags potentially harmful or concerning internet searches on student Chromebooks.

- Partnerships with the Dane County Early Intervention Services Unit and Madison Police Department Mental Health Unit allow staff to intervene early and provide targeted support to students in need.

- Emphasis on social-emotional learning and access to skilled school counselors, psychologists, and social workers are available to all students.

**Preparedness and Protection: Equipping Our Schools**

To ensure that schools are always ready to respond, key measures are in place:

- Regular drills help students and staff know how to respond in an emergency. Each year, schools must conduct at least nine fire drills, two tornado drills, two school safety incident drills (such as Evacuate, Hold or Lockout), and a school violence event drill (Lockdown).

- All schools follow the Standard Response Protocol from the "I Love U Guys" Foundation endorsed by the Wisconsin Department of Justice as the cornerstone of our emergency procedures.

- Staff participate in extensive training such as Nonviolent Crisis Intervention and PREPaRE curriculum to ensure up-to-date practices are followed.

- Visitor Aware is a secure check-in system that helps review and account for visitors to our schools.

- Teams conduct risk assessments and maintain strong protection measures with the help of school security and behavior education assistants.

**Response and Recovery: Supporting Our Community After Incidents**

In the event of an incident, schools are prepared to respond swiftly and effectively. Some steps include:

- Communication between school leadership and the District Critical Response Team provides support in following safety protocols; connecting with local agencies if needed; informing families; providing resources for students and staff; among other actions.

- Each situation is debriefed with an emphasis on learning and improvement while prioritizing restorative practices to address harm and rebuild community trust.

- Providing ongoing support through dedicated student services staff helps students and staff recover after difficult events.

For more information on MMSD’s Office of School Safety visit their website.

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