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ANOKA
-
HENNEPIN
SCHOOL
ON ANOKA-HENNEPIN SCHOOLS
DISTRICT
WINTER 2019
School safety and security leader gains
state’s highest certification
After 17 years working in law enforcement and emer-
gency management at the city and state levels, Chandra
Kreyer joined the Anoka-Hennepin School District in 2017
as its first full-time emergency management coordinator.
Now she has earned an accreditation level that few
who lead school safety and security programs have
accomplished.
Listening,
continuously
improving
Kreyer recently completed state certification as a
Minnesota Emergency Management Director, the
highest state-level designation offered through the
Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Homeland
Security and Emergency Management Division. She
also recently earned her certificate as a Minnesota
Homeland Security Critical Infrastructure Preparedness
Planner.
With her vast experience in emergency management,
Kreyer has been hard at work making sure that all
district employees have a better understanding of
procedures surrounding all types of hazards.
She works closely with city, county and state officials
to ensure that each building and its staff members are
prepared to handle all hazards a building faces. Each
building in the district requires a unique plan based on
its location and all provide different challenges due to a
variety of reasons such as location, traffic flow, train
tracks, weather, and more.
By Superintendent
David Law
Kreyer pictured on the right with Randy Johnson, Director of the
School Safety Center with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.
The classes offered in the certification process focused on
damage assessments, categorization of risks, and measure-
ment of response. Kreyer added that the program helped
her learn where district schools fit into the emergency man-
agement plans of the cities and counties in which they are
located and that allows her to work more closely with those
agencies when necessary. n
• At Andover High School, the majority of the work has moved indoors as a
classroom addition is being added, as well as a major renovation to the
school’s auditorium. Work on a 600 student addition continues.
• At Anoka High School, construction of the front entrance now allows
students, staff and visitors to enter through the new main entry. In addition,
the new classroom space is progressing. Both projects are on pace for
completion in time for next school year.
Voters approved The Fit for the Future
plan in November of 2017. The projects in
the plan aim to improve safe and secure
learning environments by removing
portable classrooms across the district, con-
structing additional schools and classroom
space, providing solutions for maintaining
quality schools at every building in the dis-
trict, and addressing class sizes at all levels.
The School Board authorized 60 new teach-
ers to be added at all levels of the district
this fall. To the right, is an update on sites
under major construction.
• At Blaine High School, the cafeteria expansion and classroom addition are
now enclosed and work is being done inside the interior. Once temperatures
rise in the spring, work will resume on the exterior of the additions. Both
projects are on pace for completion in time for next school year.
• At Champlin Park High School, construction crews continue to work on a
classroom addition that must be completed prior to the removal of portable
classrooms.
• At Coon Rapids High School, construction continues on the new main
entrance. Traffic flow for afternoon and evening events in the fieldhouse and
auditorium will be separated from the classroom areas through this project.
• Construction on the new Brookside Elementary School in Ramsey and
Sunrise Elementary School in Blaine are both progressing and most exteri-
or walls are erected. Much of the schools are closed off to the elements to
allow for interior work during the winter. Both are on schedule to be open
for the 2019-20 school year.
Check for construction updates and timelines at ahschools.us/FitForTheFuture.
Advancing the quality of
public schools is best served
in a teamwork approach.
Teachers can’t do it alone,
nor can administrators, par-
ents, legislators, businesses,
or anyone with an interest in
improving education. Knowing
the right steps to take and
where to invest is essential.
Resources must be directed to
ensure their impact provides
the desired outcome.
Each year, I have the oppor-
tunity to meet with groups
of high school students to
discuss timely topics and get
their ideas for how to make
school better. Listening to
their concerns and concepts
for improvement provides real
world feedback that our dis-
trict can use. This spring, we
will have similar discussions
with parents and guardians.
Our School Board meets
regularly with teachers and
principals to listen to their
ideas on how to improve
school and to dialogue on
solutions.
Hearing from people who
are in our schools daily and
from those who support stu-
dents provides an important
perspective.
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