Richland School District: Providing students and staff with a safe, secure environment

Student safety and campus security are top priorities of the Richland School District. From the time students step on the morning bus until they walk out of a drama practice in the late afternoon, district staff are watching out to ensure that students arrive home safe and sound.

Your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews are with us seven to ten hours a day, 180 days a year. Nothing is more important to our teachers, coaches, and support staff than providing a positive and secure learning environment.

One area of emphasis is bullying and harassment. In an effort to eliminate these aggressive behaviors, RSD schools promote an overall and ongoing culture of respect. We obviously cant monitor every hallway conversation, but students are encouraged to help others, be kind to each other, and not accept the bullying behavior of others. Children who learn to work out their differences with each other in third grade are less likely to resort to threats and fighting when they get to middle school or high school.

At the high schools, security guards and school resource officers build positive relationships with students as a proactive way to monitor campus life. As they get to know students and spend time around them, trust is established.

For the safety of staff and students, the Richland School District has an Emergency Response Plan in place. Its a practical plan that lines out how we respond to various kinds of emergencies and disasters. Our schools practice evacuation and lock-down drills on a regular basis so students and staff will be prepared when a real emergency happens.

All Richland School District principals, assistant principals, and administrative assistants attend annual emergency training sessions at Benton County Emergency Services. Local police lead the sessions focusing on how we should respond to a variety of emergency scenarios. These trainings are part of ongoing efforts to help school administrators be as prepared as possible for a worst-case scenario.

And finally, we need your help. The Richland School District is not isolated from the possibility of school violence. As a parent, grandparent, neighbor or friend, we must have our eyes and ears open to what is going on in our community. There are children potentially at risk all around us. Let us be alert and vigilant as we try our best to keep our schools safe as possible for the young people who come to learn every day.

This story was originally published April 2, 2018 at 2:31 PM with the headline "Richland School District: Providing students and staff with a safe, secure environment."