GREEN RIVER — As summer draws to an end and everyone starts gearing up for the school year, we would like to take a moment to address school safety and let the community know what Sweetwater County School District No. 2 (SCSD) and the Green River Police Department (GRPD) have been doing to keep our entire school district safe from school threats.
Over the last two years, GRPD and SCSD No. 2 have implemented many school safety programs to ensure the students in the community have a safe environment to obtain an education.
In partnership with SCSD No. 2, GRPD has been involved in annual training for all school district employees on responding to active attacker events. The programs used to train the district employees are nationally recognized for school safety and used throughout hundreds of school districts across the nation.
“Part of our program incorporates police officers responding to monthly drills at each school to help assess an overall response from law enforcement, school staff, and the community as a whole. This allows the different entities to work together to accomplish the common goal of keeping our staff and students safe,” GRPD Public Information Officer Jamie Green stated in a press release.
Upon completion of the monthly drill at each school, the responding officers and school administrators analyze and discuss the drill collectively to identify areas of improvement for school safety. This includes locked doors, escape routes for students and staff in the event they need to evacuate, and the day-to-day operations in the school, in order to support the safest practices. The areas of concern are then addressed and remedied by the appropriate entity then implemented during the next drill.
Over the last few years, the areas that have already been addressed have been communication within the schools, equipment for individual classrooms; such as ladders for escape and supplies for students and staff during lockdowns, and relocation/reunification plans. The Standard Response Protocols (SRP’s) are constantly evolving for the best outcome.
“After decades of active attacks on schools across the nation, we have learned that these attacks are constantly evolving. Therefore, we have to continue to evolve and adapt,” according to the release.
Looking towards the future GRPD and SCSD No. 2 will continue to develop the program in order to maintain the safest environment for all SCSD No. 2. “In consideration of the current national headlines of active attackers in schools, we want to reassure the community that GRPD and SCSD No. 2 are diligently working together and doing everything possible to ensure that we are implementing best practices for school safety,” the release states.
If anyone would like more information about the programs and steps that are being taken to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and support positions in Green River, feel free to contact the GRDP or SCSD No. 2.
