00:00 - This program has been paid for by the sponsor and does not reflect

00:03 - the views of PCN.

00:27 - Welcome to the Keystone Education Report, where Pennsylvania's

00:30 - education leaders come together to tackle the issues shaping our schools

00:35 - in this episode, we're diving into back to school safety with exclusive interviews

00:40 - featuring a local chief of police, a state representative and a senator.

00:44 - Then we'll hear from a panel of experts, including a school psychologist,

00:47 - a director of safety and security, and a superintendent, all sharing insights

00:52 - to help keep our students safe, supported and ready to learn.

00:56 - First, we're joined by Senator Patty Kim and Representative John Schlegel.

01:00 - Senator Kim's currently serves as the Pennsylvania State Senator,

01:03 - representing the 15th district, which encompasses Lower Dauphin County.

01:08 - And Representative Schlegel was elected to serve the citizens of Lebanon County's

01:12 - 101st legislative district in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

01:16 - Thank you both for being here today. Absolutely.

01:18 - Thank you.

01:19 - Let's jump right into it.

01:20 - School safety is this that rare area where politics really,

01:26 - can be transcended by bipartisanship, approaches school safety, that one thing.

01:30 - We can all agree on that it's necessary. I think so.

01:32 - I mean, whether your, grandmother or a parent yourself,

01:36 - this is incredibly important for our district.

01:40 - Just recently, the Senate passed pretty much bipartisan,

01:44 - unanimously, almost, Senate Bill 246, which would require school districts

01:49 - to notify parents and school employees

01:52 - that there was an incident that included in a weapon.

01:55 - All right.

01:55 - So that passed quickly.

01:56 - I added my part to it.

01:58 - I managed it

01:59 - to make sure

01:59 - that school officials and parents would also know about bullying incidents.

02:03 - And I think we can talk further about what goes on and why we need, safe schools.

02:07 - But again, bipartisan in a went quickly.

02:11 - Representative. Yeah, I would certainly agree with that.

02:13 - I think there is no higher priority than safety.

02:16 - On behalf of our students.

02:18 - And what comfort does that give our community, our parents,

02:22 - even our grandparents, of which my wife and I, we have grandchildren in our,

02:26 - our schools.

02:27 - I think safety is so important and it's vital to the education of our students.

02:31 - They need to feel safe.

02:32 - They need to feel secure.

02:34 - And I think anything that we can do, whether it has to do with bullying,

02:37 - whether it has to do

02:38 - with clear communications, making sure that our parents know that

02:42 - that safety is our highest priority and that we're open to listening

02:46 - and engaging in in good, solid two way communication

02:50 - so that they feel that their interests are being heard

02:55 - and and most importantly, that that our children are being taken care of.

02:58 - So parents are sending their kids back to school right now.

03:00 - What what can you say to parents?

03:02 - What advice can you share?

03:04 - That we're really doing everything possible,

03:06 - and that there are things that have been done at the state beyond the legislation

03:09 - that's moving through, but, the work of PCC and others

03:12 - to really make sure that that our schools are as safe as they possibly can be.

03:16 - I had the pleasure of visiting all five school districts that encompass

03:20 - Senate District 15.

03:21 - And as I go in and out,

03:23 - these schools are much different from the school that I went to.

03:25 - I went to public school, and I want to tell you how many decades ago,

03:29 - but, the security up front, the one door that you have to come in,

03:33 - the showing the ID, I was surprised that each classroom is locked.

03:38 - You cannot enter without a key that's new to me.

03:41 - I know that they do drills.

03:42 - I know that the administrators assist forefront,

03:45 - that they want to protect their students.

03:47 - And they've put in a lot of things

03:49 - with some with the schools help, the state help, some without.

03:52 - But they're making it a priority.

03:54 - And I feel that the schools are much, much safer today.

03:58 - And you're a former principal, so you can speak to it from two perspectives.

04:01 - I absolutely am.

04:02 - And it's been an honor and a privilege to not only work in,

04:05 - but now represent the two school districts,

04:07 - in the hundred and first Lebanon City School District

04:09 - and the Cornwall Lebanon School School District.

04:12 - And I think that there are just so many procedures that we do have in place.

04:16 - And I think by now, at the start of school, parents know what those procedures

04:20 - are. Most of our schools, I think they have trained

04:24 - resource officers who, in many cases, once

04:28 - they receive that training or able to carry a firearm, and that piece

04:32 - is so very important because if there is an area of concern

04:36 - or should there be a need, to address an incident,

04:41 - I think research has shown us that a quick response is very essential.

04:46 - Fortunately, our schools are very close in proximity to our local law

04:51 - enforcement agencies, and not every school

04:54 - has that privilege and opportunity.

04:57 - But that is true in 101st.

04:59 - So I think that's very important.

05:00 - But, the neither Senator Kim or myself are going to go into a school today

05:05 - or tomorrow or any other time without whether the school staff

05:09 - know us or not, they're going to ask us who we are.

05:12 - We're going to identify ourselves and our intent for being in the building.

05:15 - We're going to have to show ID, we're going to have to have

05:19 - a visible school I.D.

05:21 - at all times.

05:23 - We also provide for the student support needs,

05:27 - whether it be for bullying, for anxiety, or for any other type of issues.

05:32 - You know, as a school, a trained, school counselor.

05:35 - But my wife and I, you know, both have been trained to,

05:39 - to try to address the needs of our students

05:42 - from a myriad of perspectives and then also connect with

05:45 - outside agencies that can best support our students.

05:48 - Again, ultimately, we want that in place of students are not only safe,

05:52 - but it also contributes to them, being able to learn.

05:55 - Senator, you mentioned Senate Bill 246,

05:58 - and bullying was one of the pieces that you had again.

06:01 - Talk to me a little bit about what were your attention to that?

06:04 - What what made you realize that that needed to be added to the bill?

06:08 - Having

06:08 - teenagers myself, I had one student who would

06:11 - one child who would tell me her whole day from beginning

06:15 - to end, and I'd have another child who would tell me nothing.

06:19 - And for parents, it is hard to know

06:21 - what is going on in schools if they don't want to talk to you.

06:24 - And so having communication with the school district

06:27 - is really important to something has happened.

06:30 - I need to know and I want to address it,

06:32 - whether it be my kid's fault or he hurt someone or she hurt someone.

06:36 - I want to address that.

06:37 - More information is going to be helpful,

06:38 - but I think the one bill that I think was badly needed is a red flag bill.

06:43 - Honestly, the extreme risk protection order.

06:46 - But if there is a student that shows signs of mental distress

06:49 - who may harm themselves or, harm somebody else,

06:53 - if there's a gun in the house, they need to take that away temporarily

06:57 - by a judge's order for some time until the student gets better.

07:01 - I really think that from the shootings that we've seen,

07:04 - these students are distressed.

07:05 - And it's too easy to get these guns.

07:08 - And we need to protect the students, and keep students safe.

07:12 - I feel very strongly about that.

07:13 - I want to ask you both, before we run out of time funding.

07:15 - So, you know, the state over the last several years, both sides,

07:19 - Senate, House, the governor's office have talked about funding.

07:22 - There's been more money, put into school safety.

07:26 - Is it enough?

07:27 - Should more be done?

07:28 - Can we do more as we look ahead over the next several years?

07:31 - You know, I certainly think that that is an ongoing conversation.

07:35 - And that's part of the review.

07:36 - One of the things that we do

07:37 - in, in school, in so many capacities is we monitor and adjust.

07:41 - And if indeed, as I said, I believe school safety to be our highest priority.

07:46 - I think that's an ongoing quest to to make sure that we are evaluating

07:51 - our procedures and our practices, our connection with law enforcement,

07:55 - the resources that we have, human and otherwise, to make sure that,

07:59 - we have things in place that our students are going to feel safe and secure.

08:03 - I mean, after all, last year,

08:07 - the state contributed $18 billion to to public education,

08:12 - to 1.7 million students, who we provided over

08:17 - $100 million to, to to promote school safety in our, our schools.

08:22 - And again, I think it's so important

08:26 - that we continue to be in tune to, to best practices

08:29 - to personalize, with our students, with our parents, with it,

08:34 - with our community, what we're doing, not necessarily

08:37 - in a very specific, basis, but certainly in an ongoing basis.

08:41 - And make sure that, to me, the litmus test is that our students

08:45 - and our parents feel that our schools are safe and sound,

08:48 - and that we do address any and all concerns that that may arise.

08:52 - Senator, the last word.

08:53 - Yeah, is this is an evolving problem that we have.

08:56 - And if we just keep in contact with Ada from the law enforcement, from parents,

09:01 - I think we can find a way that the students feel safe.

09:03 - It's up to the students. We want to make sure they feel safe.

09:06 - They're going to be the judges.

09:07 - If they feel like they can run to school and enjoy themselves, then we're winning.

09:10 - And as adults, that is our responsibility.

09:13 - But this is an evolving process.

09:15 - So constant communication, not just throw money at a problem and see if it works.

09:19 - Let's strategically put it in place where the kids will feel safer

09:22 - and they can thrive.

09:23 - Senator representative, thank you so much for taking the time.

09:26 - Thanks for having us.

09:27 - Thank you.

09:28 - Excellence isn't just a goal, it's a standard.

09:30 - The Great Schools GPS designation honors Pennsylvania public schools

09:34 - that go above and beyond, where rigorous academics, strong community

09:38 - ties, financial responsibility and resilience come together.

09:42 - Today, we're highlighting one of our GPS ribbon recipients.

09:45 - North Hills School District.

09:46 - In the summer of 2024.

09:48 - The North Hills School District launched Camp Kindergarten, a program designed

09:52 - to prepare incoming kindergarten students for the start of the school year.

09:56 - Taught by our kindergarten teachers in all of our schools.

09:59 - Students attended three hours a day, three days a week for three weeks,

10:03 - learning routines, making friends, and getting comfortable with school life.

10:07 - Families and teachers raved about the program's success, saying

10:10 - it made the transition to kindergarten smoother and less intimidating.

10:14 - And the kids couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had.

10:17 - We are thrilled to bring Camp Kindergarten back in 2025, and can't wait to help

10:23 - more students build confidence and feel ready for their first day.

10:27 - We're looking for the next great Pennsylvania school district visit great

10:30 - PA schools.com to share your success story or apply for the GH ribbon.

10:57 - We're pleased to welcome Christopher Robin Stein.

10:59 - He's the chief of police for Silver

11:01 - Spring Township Police Department in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

11:05 - Chief, it's great to have you here. Thank you.

11:07 - We're talking school safety.

11:09 - And I know you obviously work with, multiple districts in Silver

11:14 - Spring Township, but a lot of what I think we're going to talk about applies

11:17 - across the state to all schools.

11:19 - What are some of the common safety concerns

11:20 - that you're seeing at schools with the start of the school year?

11:23 - I think a lot of people will focus

11:25 - on the more tragic incidents that they see because it makes news more.

11:29 - But our main focus is is definitely more

11:32 - towards the the individual level of bullying.

11:36 - Social media is a huge factor.

11:39 - And trying to get all parties to understand the best way

11:42 - to handle those things.

11:43 - Kids will be kids, but we need to help them, not let things get out of hand.

11:48 - I would imagine it requires an awful lot of collaboration

11:51 - with each of the districts within your area.

11:56 - How does that work?

11:56 - How do you collaborate with your local school districts?

11:59 - Communication.

12:00 - Know because everybody has a different set of rules. Yes.

12:03 - The main goal is always the same safety.

12:07 - Treating everybody fairly.

12:08 - But everybody does things slightly different.

12:11 - We're fortunate that our largest school district

12:14 - is an extremely large school district in Cumberland Valley.

12:17 - So we're able to work with them, and make sure that we start on the same page.

12:23 - I would think another major part of of working to ensure

12:27 - that our schools are safe, our students are safe is the parents, obviously.

12:32 - What advice do you have as a parent for parents that are sending their kids off

12:37 - to the start of the school year to to help ensure,

12:39 - that their students are safe, that schools are safe?

12:42 - I think personally, the most important thing is have

12:46 - open, honest discussions with your children.

12:49 - Age appropriate.

12:50 - You know your kids.

12:51 - You know what they can handle.

12:54 - And I would say that even though you know your child the best,

12:58 - they can handle more than what you think they can,

13:00 - and they're already hearing things and seeing things.

13:03 - So be honest with them.

13:04 - Tell them be careful.

13:06 - We love you. We want to take care of you.

13:09 - Here's the best way to go about doing that, you know, and reminding

13:13 - them of the things that we as adults think is common sense.

13:17 - I think the biggest thing is for parents, no matter what style of parenting you do,

13:22 - is to remind your child, we're here.

13:26 - We're always available to talk.

13:28 - This is safe. Tell us what's bothering you.

13:31 - So many kids are like, I couldn't tell Mom or dad this,

13:34 - and mom or dad or like, oh my gosh, they could have told me that instantly.

13:38 - You know, and remind to let them know.

13:40 - Keeping the lines of communication has to be, you know, so,

13:44 - I think about social media

13:45 - and, you know, obviously it's it's different with the impact

13:48 - it has on kids today versus, gosh, five years ago, ten years ago.

13:53 - How does your department deal with some of what our, you know, the bullying?

13:58 - Let's, let's let's take bullying because you mentioned that up front.

14:01 - How do you deal with it.

14:02 - And and what advice do you have for people

14:04 - to understand this, this new or emerging challenge?

14:07 - I think yes, the changes and it's ever evolving.

14:10 - That's the most difficult part.

14:12 - As a parent of two children in their 20s, it's

14:15 - so much different nowadays because it's nonstop it and I know

14:21 - one of the big pushes this year is our phones allowed in schools.

14:25 - And that's its own debate for sure.

14:28 - But boy, they are checking those phones

14:31 - nonstop and they're seeing if they're the victim

14:36 - of bullying.

14:37 - They are getting assaulted

14:40 - cyber every few minutes.

14:42 - And it can be so many different people.

14:45 - So I mean, our big goal is making sure we stay up as a police department,

14:49 - stay up on the trends, stay up on the

14:52 - the scientific end of it, of how can we see who's doing it to prove it.

14:56 - But again, trying to get your child,

15:00 - if you're a parent to understand, don't keep this, don't hide it.

15:05 - Don't be ashamed by it.

15:06 - Maybe you did do something

15:08 - that you're embarrassed by and that's now being held against you.

15:11 - But like Mom and Dad know,

15:13 - let us know because we can help you get through this cycle.

15:15 - That communication.

15:17 - One of the things that you were talking

15:19 - that I was thinking about is it's got to be so difficult

15:22 - if those lines of communication aren't open and the child's

15:25 - willing to speak up about, online social media bullying, what have you.

15:31 - For law enforcement to, to to do much about it to start with, I guess.

15:35 - Right. Somebody's got to speak up, I guess. Right.

15:37 - What I'm getting at, in order for you and your department to be able to engage

15:42 - and help to rectify the situation, we traditionally have to have a victim.

15:47 - A lot of families don't want

15:49 - their child to be, quote unquote, a victim.

15:52 - So they they contain it.

15:54 - They hide it, you know, out of embarrassment or fear of

15:58 - what happens next.

16:00 - I would say the absolute best thing is go into your local agency and talk to them.

16:05 - Here's my fear. Here's what I'm worried is happening.

16:07 - At the end of the day, even if you have an open

16:10 - and shut case of bullying, yes, your child is being bullied.

16:14 - We can easily identify who's doing it and we can make this a criminal case.

16:18 - You, as the parent of the victim, have the right to say,

16:23 - you know we don't want to do that.

16:25 - You. So you can't be forced into things you don't want to be.

16:28 - So and I think sometimes people are worried about that, especially,

16:32 - I think it goes everywhere.

16:35 - But here in our area, multicultural folks together.

16:40 - And they don't understand this culture.

16:42 - They don't understand their culture.

16:44 - It's talk.

16:45 - We don't have all the answers either, but we can find them out.

16:48 - And we are not afraid,

16:51 - as a local agency to say we don't know what we don't know,

16:55 - and we'll reach out at the county level, in the state level for help.

16:59 - And there's plenty of partners out there that are willing to help us.

17:01 - So chief, great advice. Thank you.

17:04 - Really appreciate all you and your team do. Certainly.

17:06 - Thank you. Appreciate.

17:07 - Excellence isn't just a goal, it's a standard.

17:09 - The great PA schools GPS designation honors Pennsylvania public schools

17:14 - that go above and beyond, where rigorous academics, strong community

17:18 - ties, financial responsibility and resilience come together.

17:21 - Today, we're highlighting one of our

17:23 - ribbon recipients, Tunkhannock Area School District.

17:27 - Tunkhannock Area School District highlights a building wide

17:29 - writing initiative at our primary center, where K-2 students are blossoming

17:33 - into confident storytellers, researchers and opinion writers.

17:38 - With support from dedicated teachers and bi monthly sessions with a Keys

17:41 - to Literacy trainer.

17:43 - Students are mastering narrative, informative and opinion writing.

17:46 - Highlights include kindergarten narratives inspired by the very lonely Firefly,

17:51 - second grade opinion pieces on Matthew and Tilly, and informative animal research

17:55 - projects all emphasizing comprehension, structure and evidence based writing.

18:01 - Their growth and creativity have been truly inspiring.

18:05 - We're looking for the next great Pennsylvania school district.

18:07 - Visit great PA schools.com to share your success story or apply

18:11 - for the GH ribbon.

18:34 - We're joined now by an outstanding group of panelists who bring

18:37 - a unique perspective to our conversation on school safety and security.

18:41 - Doctor Angela McMasters is a school psychologist

18:44 - who currently serves the Indiana Area School District,

18:47 - taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and was named

18:50 - Pennsylvania School Psychologist of the year in 2023.

18:54 - Doctor Erin Scriven is the director of safety and Security for the Allegheny

18:57 - Intermediate Unit, and is the IU's first Director of Safety and Security.

19:02 - And Doctor Michael Vukovich is the superintendent of Wimber

19:05 - Area School District and a nationally recognized education leader.

19:09 - Thank you all for joining us today.

19:11 - Let's jump right

19:12 - into what I want to talk about mental health and school safety.

19:15 - What role, in your opinion, does mental health play in the overall school safety?

19:19 - And how are your schools or schools within your IU addressing it?

19:25 - Yeah, I think for me, I think the importance about mental health

19:27 - safety is about being proactive, trying to prevent these issues before they occur.

19:31 - So what does our system look like

19:33 - to really modify and meet the needs of our students?

19:35 - What we see

19:36 - look at the data across the Commonwealth, whether it's our pay survey

19:40 - or other screeners we have in our schools that kids are hurting.

19:43 - There's a huge number of students who are facing suicide ideation,

19:46 - thinking about suicide, contemplating suicide, attempting suicide.

19:50 - So I think we have to be proactive and look at that and try to treat it

19:53 - and address it before it becomes even more heightened.

19:55 - So I think that's one thing where I get a lot of schools

19:58 - for having productive and really large systems of support

20:02 - in place for kids to really beat them

20:03 - where they're at in each kid's needs are different.

20:05 - I think it's something important to be reflective of where we're at,

20:09 - meet them where they're at, but also be responsive to their needs

20:11 - because the needs are changing drastically.

20:13 - Absolutely.

20:14 - And it's really the interrelation of the idea of safety and mental health.

20:18 - You know, safety and security are two related but different terms.

20:21 - When we talk about security, you know, that typically you could

20:24 - you could more definitively define security.

20:26 - You could talk about access control.

20:28 - You talk about cameras, you talk about the presence of an SRO or SBO.

20:31 - You talk about all the different policies and procedures

20:33 - that are in place to try and secure the building. Right.

20:36 - But when we talk about safety, we'll often, you know, people often ask,

20:40 - do you feel safe?

20:41 - What makes you feel safer? Why do you feel safe?

20:43 - And that's really where the mental health piece walks into this conversation.

20:47 - It's it's build it. It's the relationships.

20:49 - Right. Like foundational to everything that we do.

20:51 - Anything in education is relationships and safety and security in particular.

20:55 - That has to be the key component.

20:57 - One of the things that we know helps to reduce violence in schools

21:00 - through research that's out there is that, having kids

21:05 - with meaningful, appropriate relationships to at least one

21:07 - adult regardless of their role, but a meaningful connection to an adult

21:11 - in a school helps to reduce violence and helps to make the school safer.

21:15 - And so fostering programs that do that, fostering appropriate relationships,

21:19 - having supports in place, finding ways to engage kids with safety

21:23 - in such a way that they feel like they're a part of it,

21:25 - as opposed to being something done to them,

21:27 - really is where these two worlds are inextricably connected.

21:31 - And I would add, mental health is health.

21:33 - So we talk so much about physical health.

21:34 - So I talk often with students.

21:37 - And the student body is very interested.

21:39 - So I primarily serve grades 6 to 8.

21:40 - They're very interested in mental health and advocating for supports resources.

21:45 - So just really letting students know where to turn.

21:48 - I think that's incredibly important.

21:50 - And just letting them know and give them the words.

21:52 - I think sometimes our students

21:53 - might be feeling things and they don't know how to say it.

21:56 - So that comes out as behavior or threatening remarks or aggression

22:00 - towards others.

22:01 - And so once those emotions can kind of die down a little bit,

22:04 - you can have good conversations about really what the root of the problem is.

22:08 - And I feel like students do well if they can.

22:10 - So kind of meeting them where they are, we can always kind of

22:14 - figure out the best way to support their mental health and well-being.

22:17 - But I always say everyone has mental health,

22:19 - so it's not that something's wrong with someone.

22:21 - Like something you said at the beginning.

22:22 - You talked about,

22:23 - you know, the students need the help, that there are challenges there.

22:27 - Put yourself in the shoes of a parent that's watching this right now.

22:30 - Talk a little bit about the signs and symptoms that we should be looking for.

22:34 - That might indicate that a struggle that a student is struggling, you know,

22:37 - are there things out there

22:37 - that people can be watching for to get ahead to, to to be proactive?

22:42 - Yeah, I think there's a couple of things.

22:43 - One, social isolation.

22:44 - What do we do and how we interact and where are we spending our time,

22:47 - who we are around.

22:48 - You know,

22:48 - we talk a lot in this day and age about, you know, the use of cell phone

22:52 - and technology.

22:53 - What does that look like? Is it structure, is it unstructured time?

22:55 - What sites are they on or are they with their friends?

22:57 - Are they isolated? What things are they looking at?

22:59 - You know, when we look at school safety, I think anyone would tell you

23:01 - there's always leakage, there's always something out there.

23:03 - It's always going to be found.

23:04 - And so but what we want to do is put kids in pro-social environments

23:07 - and it's a little parameters. And we just put structures in place.

23:10 - Like one thing for a parent, I do with my kids every night

23:12 - when they get home, the phone goes down and we have conversations.

23:14 - What happened at school today?

23:16 - Tell me three things that happened in school today.

23:17 - And it turns into a 30 minute conversation.

23:19 - So, you know, I love your question because yes, we're working conserving kids.

23:23 - We're also helping

23:23 - giving tools for our families to really address these issues as a face,

23:26 - because you see a lot of kids who face social isolation, you know, a lot of kids

23:31 - who face anxiety, depression, and the way to get around that,

23:34 - I think, is by building pro-social environments.

23:35 - I think that's crucial for parents to understand

23:37 - and to really foster at school, but also at home.

23:40 - I think parents have to understand, too, that it's okay to ask a school

23:43 - about these things and talk to the school not to be afraid to make a phone call.

23:46 - I don't know what to do about this.

23:47 - I'm concerned about this or even about kids, friends.

23:50 - You know,

23:50 - this is one of the things with the behavioral threat

23:52 - assessment teams that are mandated across the Commonwealth

23:54 - that, you know, part of the team's responsibility is to make sure

23:57 - that parents and the community are aware of the team

23:59 - and what they do and how they do it, and understanding that

24:01 - this isn't like

24:02 - we're going to pick this kid and follow him

24:03 - because we think something's going to happen.

24:05 - It's it's it's having the relationship understanding this is baseline behavior.

24:09 - And then when we see behavior that deviates from baseline

24:12 - for a period of time, it doesn't mean they're going to do something

24:15 - horrible to themselves at the school.

24:16 - But it's something to take note of and be aware of

24:18 - and bring those interventions into play

24:20 - and have the conversations, like you said, pro-social environments

24:23 - and making kids aware that these things are present as well.

24:26 - Utilizing tools, you know, to talk, you want the relationship.

24:29 - So they go and talk to someone about it or talk to the parents about it,

24:31 - but then making parents and kids aware of things like safe to say something

24:34 - where if they don't know who to talk to or they don't feel comfortable

24:37 - talking to, that information is relayed so that the school can intervene

24:40 - in a positive way.

24:41 - And I think just to jump on that point, I learned a long time ago, it's

24:44 - not what you say,

24:44 - but I say absolutely the way we approach parents,

24:46 - we don't want parents taking their kids are broken, right?

24:48 - All of us, 100%.

24:49 - And, you know, we want to make sure that parents

24:51 - feel welcome and secure to come talk to us about these issues,

24:53 - because this is a lot, I think, for any parent. Right.

24:56 - Our goals are not to process 1,000%.

24:58 - And I was just going to add, I find that a lot of parents

25:00 - need help through the process.

25:01 - So if their students are struggling, it's kind of like, where do I go next?

25:05 - And sometimes I don't think we realize how much red tape

25:08 - it can feel like there is like, you just want to care for your child.

25:11 - But now you're like, okay, I'm like, what about my insurance?

25:13 - Who do I go to?

25:15 - What is the next best step to make sure my child is safe?

25:18 - And so I think providing that support for families too,

25:21 - so they're not alone in the process is really important.

25:24 - And to that point, it comes down to communication.

25:26 - Absolutely right. It's how you communicate these things.

25:28 - It's the way you communicated, the manner in which you communicate it.

25:31 - It's having an open dialog,

25:32 - like the communication piece

25:33 - is so critically important because if people don't know

25:35 - that it's out there, don't know that these things are available to them,

25:38 - or don't feel comfortable having that conversation, you're dead in the water.

25:41 - Like, we need to stop having a conversation about school safety

25:44 - and security as this separate thing to education,

25:48 - and recognize that this is part of what we do.

25:50 - Like this is the job now, this is a part of the job,

25:53 - and we can't silo that and make it a separate thing.

25:56 - It's ingrained in everything that we do.

25:58 - Let me play devil's advocate.

26:00 - People that say, look, a job at the school is really teach my kid, right?

26:04 - Right. Reading, writing, arithmetic, what have you.

26:07 - It's not for all this other stuff.

26:09 - How do you react?

26:09 - I think, with asking us to do the other stuff,

26:11 - because society's been asking us

26:12 - to do the other stuff for the better part of four years.

26:15 - The one thing we do, we built a parent advisory council.

26:18 - We bring families in.

26:19 - We think we value the idea of teaching families

26:22 - why we're doing this, not just what we're doing.

26:25 - And that spends a lot of time.

26:26 - It goes back Darren's point about the importance of relationships,

26:28 - that kids can't be limited between teacher and staff,

26:30 - but also be between the school district and the community.

26:33 - So we foster a parent advisory council.

26:35 - They come in once a month and we go over our safety drills.

26:37 - We communicate upfront exactly what we do, and that's fantastic.

26:40 - Like letting people know you're not giving away the keys to the council, right?

26:43 - But letting people know what you're doing, how you're doing it,

26:45 - why you're doing it, being transparent that fosters trust,

26:48 - and that allows for those conversations to happen and helps folks recognize

26:51 - that we are doing the reading, writing, arithmetic.

26:53 - But this is also part of our responsibility, because when you,

26:56 - you know, you're handing your kids off to us.

26:57 - So we have a moral obligation and a legal obligation to keep them safe and secure.

27:01 - And here's the way that we're going to do that.

27:03 - We want you to be a part of that process, that conversation.

27:05 - And I would ask offer from the school psychologist perspective, with learning,

27:08 - it's really hard for students to access learning when they're carrying the weight

27:12 - of the world on their shoulders.

27:13 - And just back to connection and what you had shared.

27:17 - I always say connection, culture and relationships.

27:19 - It's the foundation for everything.

27:21 - Students are so perceptive, and when we have conversations,

27:24 - it never ceases to amaze me

27:25 - how intuitive they are about different interactions they have.

27:28 - And so that little bit of positivity,

27:30 - just catching a student in the hallway and saying hi, and you, it's

27:34 - that fine line if you don't want to punish students for feelings

27:37 - that they're having, so you can have all the emotions under the sun,

27:40 - but what do you do with them?

27:41 - So it's like finding that healthy outlet for students.

27:43 - And I really think helping students understand

27:46 - the connection between their bodies, which are changing anyways,

27:49 - and all the development that is typical development,

27:53 - but everyone's kind of blooming at their own pace.

27:54 - So just being aware of all of that and and not mental health isn't a punishment.

27:59 - School and being safe, all of it kind of just is so interwoven

28:03 - it's difficult to tease apart. And each hit it right on the head.

28:05 - I'll be honest with it.

28:06 - If we want the academic year,

28:07 - we're really not going to trust that we address the mental health,

28:10 - social, emotional needs of our students first, right?

28:12 - There are not two steps of high organization right there together.

28:15 - We have to really think about a system that is real.

28:17 - And I think students want a channel and an avenue.

28:20 - And I realize that my role is different in the schools.

28:22 - And but even just being a part of supporting teachers and looking at

28:26 - writing samples, keeping an eye on those kinds of things.

28:29 - So when you were looking for red flags, even for parents,

28:31 - what are students writing about?

28:33 - A lot of students writing about just their basic needs.

28:36 - Like, I wish

28:37 - I want to make sure my family has enough food or money or health insurance.

28:41 - So our students are carrying adult issues.

28:45 - And this is really where all the required training that the state now has for us

28:49 - really comes into place.

28:50 - That's part of the behavior concern element of of letting our adult staff

28:54 - know, you know, these are the things that we need to be doing.

28:56 - This is how we can be proactive.

28:58 - These are the things we need to be paying attention to

29:00 - and I think what gets lost in it sometimes too, is supporting our staff.

29:03 - There in the last word is yours. Thank you.

29:06 - We had ten minutes flew right by.

29:08 - Gary conversations.

29:10 - Oh, yeah. It's.

29:11 - Yes. We're gonna have to do a couple more episodes just on this important stuff.

29:15 - We really appreciate you all being with us.

29:16 - Thanks for having us.

29:18 - Thanks for joining us on the Keystone Education Report.

29:20 - Today's conversation on Back-To-School safety reminds us that protecting students

29:25 - takes all of us, from policymakers to educators to community leaders.

29:30 - Stay tuned for future episodes as we continue to explore the challenges

29:33 - and the opportunities shaping public education across Pennsylvania.

30:05 - This program has been paid

30:07 - for by the sponsor and does not reflect the views of PCN.