Hello Manual High School Community,
Students First Means Safety First!
At Manual High School student safety is consistently a top priority. While Manual has seen a dramatic reduction in student behavioral incidents in the past few school years, my initial entry plan took on examining school policies in relation to student discipline as an immediate step. There were also some immediate steps my team took as we began this school-year. These include:
- Establishing a one door entry system aligned to district expectations
- Creating a more comprehensive approach to how we look at discipline by combing our discipline and mental health services teams to form one Student Support Team.
- We increased the level of support in our school based budget for wrap around services and intervention supports for students
- Instituted a Student Voice box for anonymous reporting of bullying incidents and school improvement ideas for student
- We established an In-School Intervention for students who miss instructional time in class for behavioral incidents, truancy or excessive unexcused absences
- We have provided de-escalation training from district support teams
- Refreshed our school wide Positive Behavior Support Systems for highlighted positive student behaviors that live up to the T-Bolt Way
- Established an in-school Intervention Room for students who consistently cause classroom disruptions that take away from the learning of others
- Hired a Restorative Approach Professional who is trained in implementing conflict resolution with students and staff
- Instituted random Hall Sweeps to create more urgency in getting to class on time
- For stronger coverage that supports a building of our size I also added an additional campus resource officer focused on supporting student safety
While these steps have been put in place and are taking root, there is still work to do in this high priority area of student safety. The amount of community use, professional learning and our athletic fields usage provides unique challenges to securing our building in a way that prioritizes physical security while still providing an environment that is conducive to the needs of after-hours community use. In this second semester I have continued to work on the following areas to close out the school-year.
Begin securing all perimeter doors to the campus with single point entry on the south side of the building (all other doors will be egress (exception is Thunder dome for after-hour sporting events).
Implement a time where all students must vacate the school after-hours or move into areas of the building that are designated for after school activities and athletics.
Creating a lobby desk at main entry for visitor check-in
Setting main entry on timer for access control system and eliminating manually unlocking doors
Working with Community Use on access requirements for after-hour events and when users would need to purchase security/police.
Changing Campus Security hours so a uniformed security officer is present until 7:00 p.m. M-F.
Meeting with Manual staff to communicate new security plan to solicit buy-in/support.
Set access and physical security requirements/expectations with YMCA and Denver Health Clinic that supports their service mission without compromising student safety.
Dedicate future meeting with McAuliffe at Manual to Leadership team to discuss security items for shared campus in the coming year
Working with Denver Public Schools Department of Safety and Security to identify security technology improvements (cameras, card reader, intercom, etc.).
As a parent/guardian, if you have ideas or input on how we can continue to ensure all of our students feel valued and safe here at Manual, please let us know. We know that a safe school starts with the messages and conversations you have with your students long before they enter our doors. Below we are asking that you discuss these reminders with your student(s):
· No weapons of any kind are allowed on campus. This includes firearms, knives, air-soft toys and bb-guns. Students who bring these items to school will face disciplinary consequences and potentially a criminal investigation and/or expulsion.
· Fighting will not be tolerated.
· Threatening or physically assaulting school personnel will not be tolerated.
· Drugs, including edibles, tobacco and alcohol are not allowed on campus.
· All students are to respect the private space of others. Sexual harassment and assault will not be tolerated and can result in a criminal investigation and/or expulsion.
Finally, it is important that our students feel safe and comfortable reporting problems, incidents and potential situations to you, your teachers and all adults in your school. Remind students that if they see or hear something, they should say something to a trusted adult. If students hear something outside of the school day, they can access Safe-to-Tell (877-542-7233) or Text-to-Tell.
At Manual Students First means safety First!
Thank you for your continued support!
Nick Dawkins
Principal