Superintendent Kyle Ramey said the district spent a lot of time during the summer working with Oakwood police to roll out some new safety measures and procedures designed to keep staff and students safe.
At the main entrances of all school buildings, new buzzers and cameras were installed. When visitors arrive at these locked entrances, staff members use a short script to ask visitors to identify themselves and state the reason for visiting the school.
Visitors will need to answer these questions before they are admitted to the building. If staff members are unsure about a visitor, administrators will conduct further screening.
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“We recognize the importance of screening visitors and limiting access to our buildings and our students. We will continue to update our policies and procedures to ensure we are protecting our most valuable asset, our students. We hope visitors coming to our buildings will understand this new practice and are patient with our staff,” Ramey said.
All of the district’s volunteer drivers will continue to be required to annually complete a volunteer driver form. Now, drivers will also be required to complete a BCI/FBI background check and have their driver’s abstract reviewed for any offenses for the previous three years.
The new transportation security checks will need to take place every five years. The district has arranged for Secure Check on Wilmington Avenue in Dayton to conduct these new checks. Volunteers will not be charged for the security checks.
These changes come as a result of recommendations from a task force created in September 2016 to review the district’s transportation policies and procedures.
“Through the hard work of committee members, we were able to identify areas for improvement and we have moved forward with their implementation during the past several months and this summer in order to be ready for the fall season,” Treasurer Kevin Philo said.
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