of the vending machine . Without taking the time to see the issues the site principal had with their facilities , the fencing and camera issues would probably not have been addressed in a timely manner .
One might ask , why include the CBO in the facility walkthroughs ? In most small districts , the CBO supervises the maintenance , transportation and food service supervisors , as well as works with the superintendent in budget development . In my district , the CBO meets with the supervisors once a month and when she meets with the maintenance supervisor she can get updates on the status of the tasks generated by the walkthroughs . When we set budget priorities as a district , especially for one-time funds , the CBO can assist the superintendent and school board in funding those priorities . The walkthroughs are also beneficial in LCAP development , as we can articulate the facility improvements and / or repairs completed during the school year .
We plan for emergencies , we practice responding to emergencies and walk the physical plants to make sure potential threats to student and staff safety are addressed . The one area schools and districts do not do a great job is communicating to the parents , staff and community about incidents that happen at schools . As a school administrator , I struggle with understanding what the public needs to know and what events probably require notification from the school ? In our community , people listen to the public safety scanner and post on social media if there is an incident at the school . I have made the mistake of not notifying the public after an incident occurs , even after hours . The community wants to know that you , as the steward of their children , take care to make sure they are safe at school .
I have set up a Facebook account and a Twitter account to communicate to parents and the community about our schools . Not just safety incidents , but all news about the schools . We also use the district website and dialer to communicate to stakeholders . If law enforcement is involved in an incident at one of the schools , I try to coordinate the information I am releasing with the information law enforcement is releasing .
After an incident , my staff and I review the incident and determine what was done well and what could be improved . Administrators should not be afraid to review their safety plans often during the school year and revise the plan if needed . School safety requires more than a great written plan and a pretty binder . School safety requires that administration communicates the plan to all staff members and students , that potential threats are identified and resolved , incidents are communicated to stakeholders and the
school response is reviewed and revised if needed . By making safety routine , all stakeholders in the school community will benefit .
Dr . Corey Willenberg is completing his seventh year as superintendent of the Oroville Union High School District . In 2005 he earned a doctorate from the University of Southern California . Dr . Willenberg is also a Reserve Deputy with the Butte County Sheriff ’ s Office . September | October 2018 21