CUSD schools ramping up new security measures

Apr. 28—The front entrance to Shumway Leadership Academy is closed as construction continues on a new sally port for the elementary school.

It's just one visible sign of how the times have changed since gunmen targeted children as young as 6 at the Sandy Hook school shooting and as young as 9 in the Nashville school shooting at the end of March.

"I had some kids that were a little anxious to come to school and parents that were anxious to send their kids to school," said Dr. Korry Brenner, the school's principal. "But then I think once we had the conversations about what we do, my perception was that they were feeling reassured, relieved."

Sally ports, which are fortified entryways, have either been installed, or soon will be, at all the elementary schools in Chandler Unified School District.

That is just one of the obvious changes made to schools because of the increase in school shootings.

Stephanie Ingersoll, the district's executive director of marketing and communications, said the plan is for all that construction to be complete in time for the start of the next school year this summer.

Another change is that every door at the school is now locked. Students must knock to gain entry, and teachers now carry around a lot of keys. Brenner said Shumway began locking all of its doors at the end of last year.

It's also hard not to miss a security guard at the only entrance to the school. Some of the changes, however, are more subtle.

"What I think long term is more effective, at least at the elementary level, truly is pouring into our kids," Brenner said. "So making sure that they feel connected to somebody on campus; making sure they know who they can talk to if they need something; listening to them; teaching them self advocacy skills; teaching coping strategies."

Brenner said all the classrooms at her school now have a "calm down, cool down box with fidget resources."

"If I'm feeling frustrated, if I'm feeling anxious — I just need a break — we let them know it's OK to self-advocate for that break, and here are the tools in this space to take that."

That's not the only step they are taking.

"We have some kids who have daily check in, and check outs just to make sure that emotionally, we're doing OK, and we're getting that positive pouring, or an opportunity to reset if we did just have a tough moment. They get a clean slate, let's start again."

A teacher or staff member may take a student on a quick two-minute walk, just to see how they're feeling.

When anxious parents call, Brenner says she lets them know that it takes a partnership between the school and parents to help improve the situation.

"I would recommend that they listen to their child's concerns," Brenner said. "Understand that parents aren't in it alone, either. We're here to partner with parents in that. If they know that their child's anxious about it, or struggling or worried that it's important, they communicate that with us so that we can support them here on campus."

Most elementary school students are not reading or watching the news, but Brenner said that may not mean they haven't heard something about the shootings.

"Whether we like it or not, they have access to social media, and they see and hear, I think, more than we want to admit," Brenner said. "So I do think they're pretty aware."

One of the things they teach children even at that early age is that if they see something, they should say something.

"We're also teaching them self-advocacy, and get an adult to help," she said. "If you have a peer that said, 'I'm going to do this' ... or 'I'm thinking about whatnot,' our kids, I'd like to believe they're pretty quick to report to somebody because we have those relationships in place."

Brenner said this is a top priority.

"As a school system, we take what we do very seriously," she said. "We can't educate our kids if they're not feeling safe, if they are not truly safe. I think it's the communication between home and school that is key. If parents are noticing changes in their kids behavior, that they're bringing it up to us. That if we're noticing changes, that we're bringing it up to them.

"We're just very keenly aware of our kids' moods and social interactions, more so now than when I started 27 years ago."