Students sharing information, aware of mental health concerns key to safety

Parents should know that if an emergency occurs at Franklin schools, staff is trained to make the best choices in critical moments, but specific safety and security plans can’t be shared with the public.

School safety was a major topic at the school district’s annual public forum this week. The school had already gauged what questions parents had so they could share the best information about school security, mental health services, bullying and Internet safety.

Franklin schools Director of Operations Jeff Sewell said that the school cannot share security procedures because it could compromise safety. The security planning is designed so that administrators, teachers and staff can make the right choices in critical moments to keep the kids safe, he said.

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“We do not believe your kids are safer if you know the details or even if they know the details,” Sewell said. “Those plans are more effective if they are not general knowledge.”

Also, in the case of an emergency, school officials and Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran asked parents to not come to the school immediately.

Superintendent David Clendening said that parents showing up at the schools during an emergency can make situations worse because not only would students need protection, parents would too. Their priority is keeping the kids safe, he said.

“We’re going to get you information as soon as we can, but please don’t come to the facility. It won’t help us,” Clendening said. “If your kid calls you, tell them to hang tight and trust the school.”

Cochran added that having additional people at the scene when the police arrive makes their job more difficult.

“We would need to get access to the school immediately, as soon as we can,” he said.

Several school employees are trained as safety specialists. Safety specialists are trained through a program offered by the state focusing on school safety, security, intervention/prevention and emergency preparedness planning.

The state requires each school district to have one safety specialist. Franklin schools has 30 safety specialists, including teachers, custodians, counselors and administrators, Clendening said.

“We always have several staff members each year that want to get involved in that,” Sewell said. “It was one of the things I was impressed with from my very first couple weeks with the school corporation last year was the safety mindedness.”

Along with the safety specialists, the school district is adding two additional school resource officers. The entire district currently has one officer. The three officers from the Franklin Police Departemtn will be mainly housed at the high school, middle school and intermediate school, Clendening said.

“We’re excited and we believe we’ve got some of the best SROs you can have,” Cochran said.

In addition to adding more security, the schools are also developing more mental health services for students. First is a tiered counseling program that involves different levels of counseling for students including core universal support for all students, targeted interventions and intensive interventions.

The school will also be implementing Second Step, which is lessons focusing on social and emotional learning for kindergarten through eighth grade.

Clendening said a key point in safety is regarding mental health awareness. Students should say something if they notice anything is wrong with a fellow student. He said students have been open to sharing information so the school can help maintain a safe environment.

“The kids are really stepping up,” Clendening said. “They want a safe place, and we want a safe place.”