Here's what District 2 candidates for EVSC school board say about school safety

EVANSVILLE − Four seats are open on the seven-member school board in the Nov. 8 general election. They include one from District 1, two in District 2 and one At-Large seat. All Vanderburgh County residents can vote for all school board seats, even though some seats are designated to represent a specific district.

With 14 candidates running for four open seats on the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation's board of trustees, the board's makeup could potentially undergo a significant change.

The Courier & Press has asked school board candidates to share their responses to questions about education and public schools in a series of articles. This round of questions discusses issues pertaining to school safety.

The answers will appear in separate articles for District 1, District 2 and At-Large candidates.

Running for the District 2 seats are incumbents Andy Guarino and David Hollingsworth (currently serving At-Large), and challengers Jon Abbey, Michael Duckworth, Julie Lutz Fox and Casey Hillenbrand.

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Do you believe gun violence is a problem in our community? What role, if any, should the EVSC take in addressing the issue of gun violence?

Andy Guarino: "Gun violence is a problem in our community, and in the EVSC the safety and security of our kids, teachers and staff are our top priority. We have our own EVSC police force of 9 officers, which services 39 schools, and we maintain a tip line for people to express concerns, either by phone or online. We also have a security committee that meets regularly, and includes EVSC, EPD ,sheriff, UE, USI and Ivy Tech security personnel. This committee reviews, evaluates and improves our safety and security protocols."

David Hollingsworth: "We do have a gun violence issue in our community. And it's nationwide! EVSC should be very careful to keep its main focus on education. I do believe all school systems in Vanderburgh County should work with law enforcement and community leaders to do all they can to make our streets safer. Offering wholesome after school activities is a good start."

Jon Abbey: "Crimes with people using guns is certainly are a problem in our community. The news is filled with shots fired calls, people injured or killed by persons shooting into homes, at people on the streets or targeting people. Students should be taught respect for life and laws in a way that is age appropriate. Civility in our society is an emphasis that should be priorities for our kids. Teaching students to resolve conflict without aggression are points of emphasis. Although random shootings are frequent, those shootings that result from criminal activity and revenge motives could be reduced if people see other ways to behave under stress. Moral behavior should be the basis of classrooms and should be supported."

Michael Duckworth: "It’s very apparent that gun violence is at an increase in our community. EVSC has established it’s own Police Force, officers that have full police powers and certified academy training. In addition, school safety training is an on going part of their day-to-day operation. Any social issue, especially gun violence has the potential to make it’s way into our schools, and yes, here in Evansville, Indiana. Due to the numerous occurrences that have taken place, we must be ready to do all we can to prevent and to mitigate any and all threats to our schools, students and staff. On going training of EVSC personnel, students, and staff is vital. A yearly assessment of the physical security of our facilities, such as doors, entry ways, cameras and alarms are just a few of the amenities in a school building that could be a crucial factor in any security threat that occurs. The best prevention is communication. Providing students and staff with a clear path to share information that could lead to preventing a critical event is the best way to prevent an incident from happening. This is way more than a trend, it is our reality now. Parents expect to send their children to a safe environment each day and it is the most important task that faces our schools . Awareness, communication and utilizing the best practices available is the best way to prevent and to stop these terrible events."

Julie Lutz Fox: "Every community has some degree of gun violence. EVSC does have measures in place to prevent it from happening in our schools, and there is a zero tolerance policy on weapons in schoolsand at or near school events, even when off campus. There is no indication that those measures are inadequate, and hopefully, they are reviewed and updated periodically to ensure it remains adequate to prevent gun violence."

Casey Hillenbrand: "There is no community immune from gun violence. There is a standard the board follows to “maintain a safe environment” outlined in EVSC policies and within Indiana Code. However, the role and impact of EVSC in the health and safety of students is so much more. I believe the potential for gun violence within EVSC should be addressed though both prevention and preparedness. It is not a coincidence that there are overlapping risk factors for adolescent gun violence and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) which can increase risk for adult chronic physical and behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) conditions. Through studies, we know that as the number of risk factors increase so does this risk for youth violence and ACEs. Therefore, EVSC plays a vital role and bears a substantial responsibility to ensure all modifiable risk factors are being addressed and all protective factors which increase resilience are being supported."

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Should parents and the general public be notified immediately when there is a safety or security issue involving weapons at school?

Guarino: "Parents are to be notified as soon as possible, and the general public as needed, by text, phone or email.We also have a text reporting service, so students can report non-emergency concerns to school officials. This service is available at our five high schools, as well as New Tech, Harwood and Academy for Innovative Studies."

Hollingsworth: "Parents and/or guardians should and are notified when a security issue occurs at a at our schools."

Abbey: "Judgement about the nature of the event should be supported by detailed training and policies in place for staff in schools to act prudently. Some models of school safety protocol say that it is dangerous to immediately summon parents to rush into the scene of concern. The love of a child is a powerful force which will bring parents to school with this type of report but may delay emergency response and cause confusion. It’s a tough call best left to decisions made by well trained staff and law enforcement."

Duckworth: "Once the incident is under control, communication through social media and broadcast media to parents and the public should be made. Making sure the situation is secure is the first task, communicating the facts is vital, rumors can cause issues, getting ahead of the underlying false reports is very important. Parents have a right to know that the area is secure and the corporation should make that a priority when an event takes place. Continued follow up would ease tensions and help restore the confidence that all is cleared and back to normal."

Lutz Fox: "Absolutely."

Hillenbrand: "When a firearm, deadly weapon or concern of possession thereof is identified, notifications should be made at the earliest possible time which would not endanger the safety and security of others. It is my opinion that parents should also receive notification of any misconduct and discipline issued to their students. Violence can often escalate, so it would seem prudent to both notify parents and verify receipt of notification for any involvement in or acts of violence. I have searched Indiana Code, EVSC bylaws and policies, if it is detailed when and how a parent should be notified it is certainly not easily identified. This is a topic very important to me as an EVSC parent and a concern I have heard from others. Improvement in this area of notification could be beneficial in preventing acts of violence."

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Should an annual report about safety/security incidents and activities in EVSC schools be made available to the public? Why or why not?

Guarino: "State law requires EVSC to complete an annual report regarding our safety and security incidents and activities. This report is completed online, following a prescribed state form and sent to the Indiana Department of Education. We also have the report printed in our local newspaper. In addition, we have state reporting for suspensions/expulsions, as well as regular active intruder, fire, and earthquake drills."

Hollingsworth: "All security issues are reported in the paper every year. An annual report is published yearly. The form is a prescribed state form. It's usually reported in March. It's also on our website in March."

Abbey: "Generic reporting of safety audits would be appropriate while protecting names and private information about the details of the individuals involved. School safety is not a 'gotcha' moment for news outlets or detractors of EVSC success. It is of critical importance to use audits to improve the process and ensure fidelity to the plans."

Duckworth: "Yes, an annual report would show that safety and security is an ongoing priority for the corporation. There is a cost factor that is paid by taxpayers and they have a right to know how and why these funds are spent, but by no way should it cause the corporation to “show it’s hand” in how they plan to achieve and prevent these threats. Criminals read reports…the corporations safety strategy should be a part of their security plan and held in confidence."

Lutz Fox: "An annual safety report would certainly be helpful in assessing the need for programs and security. However, that shouldn’t be a schools primary focus. Again, focusing on educational needs and providing hope for a future would go a long way to dissuading such behavior."

Hillenbrand: "Indiana Code requires detailed reporting of arrests and bullying incidence within each school corporation to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), and this information is shared on their website. There are several concerns with providing additional detailed safety/security data that correlates with specific schools beyond what is required by mandatory reporting. Just a few examples include difficulty accounting for variables that may skew data, importance of maintaining privacy of individuals, creating stigma which decreases attendance of certain schools, and contributing to a culture of underreporting which is counterproductive to improvement. However, with thousands of safety and disciplinary incidents within EVSC each year it is reasonable to expect thorough evaluation, and both overarching and individual school improvement plans which (sans provocative details) should be shared with the public."

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What training and equipment should public school teachers be expected to access or use to handle incidences of aggression and or violence in school?

Guarino: "We do have monitoring services within our school corporation, including a tip line, text reporting service for reporting non-emergencies to officials, teachers and staff. Our EVSC police force, and EPD officers within our buildings are extremely well trained and are responsible for the safety and security of our children. Our teachers are very aware of their safety and security responsibilities, but we want our teachers to be able to instruct our children, as they were hired to do. We want our children to be safe, happy and academically prepared."

Hollingsworth: "It is not best practice to discuss in whole our security plans. Teachers are taught de-escalation skills through GAIN . We also have counselors, administrators, EVSC police, Evansville police department and sheriff support in our schools."

Abbey: "Training staff on what to do in an incident is more important than providing equipment (firearms, less lethal tools, etc.). Clearly the most critical part is to have consistent compliance by all staff to the safety plan. A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link. One door blocked open caused the horror of Uvalde, TX. One teacher or substitute opening a door without a pass code could be deadly for all inside. Training and consistency are critical."

Duckworth: "In a perfect world, I would say that teachers should be only responsible for teaching and managing their student’s achievements, but in our world today, they must be a partner in the safety of our schools. Ongoing training regarding what to watch for and how to recognize the potential for problems is of great importance. Teachers spend a great deal of time with our students and knowing their actions and moods is a skill that could help prevent an incident. This type of training and the active shooter training has become a part of a teacher’s day to day tasks. The corporation and public should recognize the many different functions that teachers have to perform and compensate them accordingly. Teachers are not police officers and should not be expected to act as one. In the past decade, numerous tools have been established and used to prevent these types of incidents. EVSC should continually review it’s plan and update it to fit our schools."

Lutz Fox: "Currently, districts may allow designated people to carry guns in schools, and this includes teachers. However, no training is required, and the resource officer assigned is generally the individual to whom the responsibility of safety falls. Teachers should not be required to be armed, but if they are willing and choose to do so, they should be permitted and training should be provided. This, however, would take legislative action for that to occur."

Hillenbrand: "Training required by the Indiana Department of Education such as seclusion and restraint training is important to protecting educators and facilitating the protection of others in situations of imminent danger which do not involve firearms, and are a reasonable expectation for educators. Whether it’s violence in school or a natural disaster, I personally place high value on scaled simulation experiences combined with team building to reinforce the didactic instruction that is provided and develop new ideas. It is the individuals within the school that experience situations of violence in this setting though, and must cope with the terrifying reality of potential for an active shooter situation. These individuals have different needs and levels of comfortability with confrontation so it would be most valuable to ask educators what training or equipment beyond requirements might help them feel safe, and empowered to protect themselves and others. These needs can help focus evidence based training, support, resources and equipment."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: EVSC school board District 2 candidates talk about school safety