Twinsburg Superintendent Explains New Safety Procedures

Twinsburg Schools Superintendent Kathi Powers explains ALICE, a nationally recognized school safety program, in a letter to parents.

Twinsburg City Schools are implementing new school safety procedures after a thorough review of national best practices and an examination of the district's own procedures. Twinsburg Superintendent Kathi Powers and School Resource Officer Ron Fruscella sat down with Twinsburg Patch to discuss the new procedures. We will have that article this week. But first, Powers has also posted a letter to parents on the schools website. Here is that letter in its entirety: Dear Twinsburg Schools Family, I trust that your Spring Break has been relaxing and that you are ready to begin the final phase of the 2012/2013 school year!  Students in grades 3 – 8 will complete the Ohio Achievement Assessments beginning the week of April 22nd.  Our students have…

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Twinsburg Police Will Provide Second School Resource Officer Next Year

After discussions between Twinsburg Police and the Twinsburg City Schools, the police department plans to provide a second school resource officer next school year.

Twinsburg Police Chief Chris Noga said the police department will provide a second school resource officer for Twinsburg Schools next school year. Twinsburg once had a second school resource officer, but had not been providing a second officer since 2009. But renewed discussions about school safety in the wake of the Newtown, Conn. shooting have led officials to bring a second SRO back. Noga said the new resource officer will also be DARE certified and will serve at RBC Middle School starting in the 2013-14 school year. Noga currently has 33 full-time sworn police officers on staff, and he believes he can provide the service to the schools without adding staff. "I think this is in the best interests of our schools," he said.

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Twinsburg Teachers Receive New Security Training: Does It Make You Feel Safer?

The Twinsburg School District is busy training its staff in new security techniques. Do you think it will make the district safer? Discuss it in the comments!

Twinsburg Teachers To Receive ALICE School Security Training

Teachers will learn about new school security techniques during training on Friday, and the board will share more information with the community at an upcoming parent meeting.

Twinsburg teachers will receive new school security training on Friday, Superintendent Kathi Powers said Wednesday. Powers said school security has been a priority during her tenure with the district, but the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. has led the district to re-evaluate how it approaches security, especially active-shooter situations. So on Friday, Twinsburg Police's School Resource Officer Ron Fruscella will help teach district staff about ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lock Down, Inform, Counter and Evaluate. Powers says that teachers and students are very familiar with lockdowns, and the ALICE training goes beyond that technique. "What we have found in many serious situations in our country, and especially Sandy…

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School Security Expert Offers Advice to Keep Students Safe

Ken Trump, a nationally known school security expert, is trying to add context to the nation-wide discussion of school safety.

After the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary on Dec. 14, school security has once again become a main issue in education. On Monday, school security expert Ken Trump, president and CEO of National School Safety and Security Services, gave a presentation for the Solon City School District putting the topic of school safety into context. While he is conducting an in-depth analysis of the security in Solon schools, his message to parents is applicable to everyone. A father of two himself, Trump said the Sandy Hook tragedy was a punch to the gut for everyone. "It left a psychological scar on all of us," he said. Trump thinks our society is seeing a decrease in prevention, intervention, security, preparedness and training while there is …

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