Dear Families:
Safety and security are top priorities for us in the City School District of Â鶹ӰÒô. We take that responsibility seriously and are engaged each day in evaluating our systems and processes with a goal of continuous improvement to achieve our goals.
However, we recognize that we moved a little too quickly with our plans to install and implement new enhanced security systems at Â鶹ӰÒô High School this month. With that in mind and after careful consideration, we are postponing the launch of these new systems and procedures to allow time for us to more fully engage with students and families before we move ahead.
Â鶹ӰÒô High had planned to begin using the new scanning technology next Wednesday, Nov. 12. That launch will be delayed so the high school can schedule several presentations to answer questions and address concerns. We hope you will join us at one of the following meetings:
- Thursday, Nov. 13 – Public forum, 6 p.m.
- This meeting will be held in the Â鶹ӰÒô High library
- Monday, Nov. 17 – Virtual conversation with Principal Jodi Commerford, noon
- A meeting link will be provided
- Tuesday, Nov. 18 – Â鶹ӰÒô High PTSA meeting, 5:30 p.m., library
We strongly believe that our planned upgrades – including RONIN walk-through scanners and LINEV bag scanners – will enhance safety for students, employees and visitors at Â鶹ӰÒô High.
We believe the new systems also will improve efficiency at morning entry. The technology provides quicker and more accurate screening, as well as greater privacy since it significantly reduces the necessity for manual checks.
While there certainly is support for improving our capacity and improving our safety initiatives at the high school, we could have been more thoughtful about engaging our families in advance of our launch.
The meetings we have planned prior to Thanksgiving will give us an opportunity to do that, so that we are all working in partnership as we move forward to ensure a safe learning environment for everyone in the Â鶹ӰÒô High community.
Sincerely,
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent