VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The following is a news release from the Valley City Public School District.
Superintendent Josh Johnson said at the beginning of each school year, we designate a week to focus on School Safety at Valley City Public Schools. This is an opportunity for us to conduct emergency drills with students and staff and also communicate our school safety priorities and procedures with our parents, guardians, and community members. This year, our school safety and security priorities will include three areas:
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Visitor Management at VCHS: All visitors to VCHS between 8:30 AM- 3:30 PM will be required to enter through the north office of VCHS (door #N2). This will allow us to better screen visitors during the school day and ensure that we know who is in the VCHS building during the school day.
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Securing Classrooms: We want to improve the security of each classroom across the district by enhancing the ability to secure or lock classrooms from an external threat. In addition to installing a security film on interior windows/glass, we have applied for a $500,000 federal grant that would allow us to purchase specialized equipment to improve the ability to secure each classroom. By the end of October, we will know if our grant application was successful.
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Emergency Preparedness at Activity Events: We are very fortunate that SRO Hagen, VCPD, and other emergency responders attend many of our activity events in the school district. This fall, we will be attending a training to be better prepared for an emergency situation at an activity event. In the past, we have had fire alarms sound or severe weather occur during a Hi-Liner event. Our priority is to be better prepared as a school district for all type of emergency situations that could happen during an activity.
Later this week, we will be sending an email with important information for parents, guardians, and community members regarding our emergency procedures and what parents and guardians can expect from VCPS in an emergency situation. In the meantime, if you have any questions about school safety and security at VCPS, please reach out to me and/or SRO Sean Hagen via email and/or phone at 701.845.0483.
Josh Johnson, Superintendent, Valley City Public Schools.