Changes in the way security is being handled are under way at the Kent School District as the district is shifting away from a \u201csecurity model\u201d and toward a \u201csafety model\u201d that includes a more proactive approach based on developing relationships with students.<\/p>\n
Even the name has been changed to reflect the new philosophy being instituted in the schools. What was once security is now School Safety Services.<\/p>\n
Leading the way is new Superintendent Edward Lee Vargas, who said it was important to move away from a strict enforcement model of school security and instead focus on creating a safe, nurturing environment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the kids don\u2019t feel safe, they\u2019re not going to learn,\u201d he said, adding that prior districts in which he worked also made the switch. \u201cI\u2019ve seen the difference it could have.\u201d<\/p>\n
But more than a name change, the new safety model is a different approach on school security. Instead of simply being there to enforce the rules when something goes awry, Vargas said safety officers would take a more \u201cpersonal and preventative approach\u201d in an attempt to build relationships and stop problems before they occur.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a change of philosophy or direction,\u201d said Lt. Ken Thomas of the Kent Police Department, who is also working as the interim director of School Safety Services for the district. \u201cIt\u2019s how the officers in the schools approach their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Thomas, one of the most visible differences in the two models will be when an officer goes \u201chands-on\u201d to physically restrain a student. Under a safety model, the officers will give students more chances to do the right thing before physically moving a student.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past, a security officer may have been authorized to use force, but it may not have been the right thing to do,\u201d he said. \u201cJust because you can use force, doesn\u2019t mean you should use force.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can get a kid to move without putting your hands on him,\u201d Vargas said. \u201chow you treat and talk to them can make a huge difference in how they respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Safety officers will also be encouraged to spend more time talking to students and building relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know things we don\u2019t,\u201d Vargas said, adding that students often know when and where fights will take place or if someone has a weapon.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur officers are learning what\u2019s going to happen before it happens,\u201d Thomas said, adding that the new system should also get students more involved and active and there taking more ownership and responsibility in overall school safety.<\/p>\n
Vargas said the No. 1 reason kids drop out is because they think no one cares, so one of the goals is a message to students is that they are respected.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully more kids will know we\u2019re not there to bust them , so to speak, but that we care about them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Thomas, who is part of the city\u2019s gang unit, narcotic unit and major crimes unit, also said that the police department partnership with the district allows the two to work together because students who are in school are not out on the streets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see we can\u2019t arrest our way out of the gang problem,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to work with the schools … to try and help that.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than a school district problem; it\u2019s an entire community issue,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The partnership will also allow both groups, the district and the police, to gain access to more grants, prompting Vargas to call it a \u201cwin-win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas, who is filling the director role for up to six months, also is conducting a review of the district\u2019s new Safety Services Department and working with officers to train them in the new methods.<\/p>\n
At the end of the review, a new mission, vision and values document will be created. Thomas said the review is \u201cnot a complete overhaul\u201d and that most safety officers were already practicing a similar concept, but now it would simply be codified.<\/p>\n
Kent-Meridian High School Principal Wade Barringer said he was encouraged by the new model, which is something he has encouraged his school safety officers to practice for a few years already. At K-M, he said, the students feel more comfortable around the officers because of the relationships they have built.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey feel safe around them and can come to them with questions and concerns,\u201d Barringer said. \u201cBe open with them and they will be open with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barringer said the students seem to respond very well to additional chances to change before the officers have to get physical in any way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey appreciate the opportunity to correct their behavior before they are assumed to be doing something wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes they just need that second chance or people to listen to them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vargas and Thomas both said that in incidents that require an immediate response or when safety is an issue, the officers will still move quickly to protect students and staff because the most important thing was making sure that everyone in the school remains safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the kids aren\u2019t feeling safe, they\u2019re not going to be ready to learn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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