CV Holding School Safety Drill

Chartiers Valley middle and high school students will participate in a “safety drill” Tuesday to prepare them in case of an emergency on campus or nearby in the community.

The drill, the details of which were still being finalized Monday afternoon, will involve both students and teachers on how to react should there be an armed intruder inside the building or if it must be locked down for other reasons.

The school district notified parents of the safety drill in a letter posted on its website last Friday. Superintendent Brian White Jr. said they will also conduct a “safety visit” to each classroom at the intermediate and primary schools this week.

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“The purpose of our school safety drills is to provide our teachers, staff, students and area law enforcement with an opportunity to prepare for different situations that may jeopardize safety in an educational setting,” White said in the letter.

White said that during the winter break, the school district installed security features, such as an “access control system” to the four school entrances. There are also new security systems installed at the primary and intermediate administrative offices.

He also pointed to negotiations with Scott Township to add a “school resource officer” at the intermediate school and continued discussions with Collier Township about police officers at the middle/high and primary campuses.

“As we continue to reassess our security systems and protocols, we will work with area law enforcement to make our schools are a safe learning environment for our students,” White said in the letter.

Look below to read the entire letter to parents…

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Happy New Year! I hope you and your family had a wonderful winter vacation. While our students were off, we continued to focus on ensuring that our schools are as safe as possible.

One thing we’ve done in the past and will continue this year is conduct school safety drills.

During the month of January, we will conduct school safety training at all four of our schools. At the High School and Middle School, we will have a brief safety drill inclusive of students on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. At the Intermediate School and Primary School, each classroom will receive a school safety visit during the week of January 7-11, 2013. On our professional development day, Monday, January 21, 2013, all schools will conduct a safety drill with faculty and staff. It is our intention to involve local law enforcement in our elementary safety drills.

The purpose of our school safety drills is to provide our teachers, staff, students and area law enforcement with an opportunity to prepare for different situations that may jeopardize safety in an educational setting.

In addition to the school safety drills, a number of security upgrades were implemented during the winter break. Most noticeable is the installation of an access control system at the Primary School and Intermediate School entrances and offices as well as at the Middle School/High School main entrance.

We are also pleased that Scott Township publicly voted on December 27, 2012 to support the placement of a school resource officer at the Intermediate School. On January 2, 2013 a group of school board members and I met with the Collier Township commissioners regarding the placement of a school resource officer at the Middle School/High School and the Primary School.

As we continue to reassess our security systems and protocols, we will work with area law enforcement to make our schools are a safe learning environment for our students. If you have any questions or concerns about the school safety training, please contact your child’s building principal.

Thank you,

Brian White, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Chartiers Valley School District