School safety is a top priority

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PROVIDENCE – Safety remains a top priority for Catholic school administrators across the diocese who constantly strive to provide a secure environment for their staff and students despite the security challenges presented by a changing society.

Brian Cordeiro, principal of Immaculate Conception Catholic Regional School in Cranston emphasized that school safety was frequently discussed during his graduate studies at Boston College.

“Safety is part of a new challenge facing schools and one that Catholic school administrators have to be prepared for,” he acknowledged.

Cordeiro said that Immaculate Conception, which opened its doors in 2009, follows a safety plan created for the school’s predecessor, Cranston-Johnston Regional Catholic School. That plan is reviewed annually and revised by the school’s administrative team in cooperation with the pastor, Father Ronald Brassard. It is also reviewed with all staff and faculty during orientation at the start of the school year.

He said that since the new school was constructed after the 1999 Columbine school shootings, the architects who designed ICCRS implemented many security features not found in older schools. For example, security cameras monitor the building perimeter and parking lot.

During evening programs, such as theater performances and athletic events, some parts of the school are cordoned off to prevent access. While there have been no incidents, Cordeiro is studying whether to employ a policeman at athletic events, which are open to guests from outside the ICCRS community.

“It would give us an added measure of confidence to have a first responder on site,” he said. “We have to balance that cost.”

He added that members of the Cranston Police Department make regular visits to the school, which he said, makes the children feel comfortable in the presence of first responders. He said that the officers conduct perimeter checks of the school building, and offer suggestions to be even more effective in maintaining a safe school environment.

Last month, following the Connecticut shooting, Cordeiro educated parents by advising them of Internet links to resources to instruct them how to address the issue with small children.

“We placed the tragedy within the larger context of our faith,” he said, noting that students in the middle school grades gathered in the school theater for a prayer service to remember the 26 students and staff who lost their lives.

At Blessed Sacrament School in Providence, Principal Janet Rufful, said that in accordance with state law, the school conducts 15 safety drills a year, including two evacuations and two lockdowns.

She added that the school’s safety plan is currently being reviewed to determine, what improvements, if any, should be made. Rufful meets regularly with Father Charles Grondin, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church, to discuss safety concerns as issues develop.

The principal said that officers from the Providence fire and police departments conduct regular inspections of the school building, and are periodically invited to the school for programs.

According to Rufful, visitors to Blessed Sacrament School can only gain access to the building after being buzzed in through the main door where a security camera monitors the entrance to the building.

“We have a good system here and we enforce it,” she emphasized. Students have been instructed not to open any outside door for visitors, and parents may only enter the school through the main door.

Students attending school-sponsored dances must sign and remain in the hall during the event, and must sign out and leave with a parent or guardian.

In the aftermath of the Newtown shooting, Blessed Sacrament staff made a special effort to be visible to alleviate students’ anxiety, while a counselor was also available to meet with the children and discuss individual concerns.

Mercy Sister Jeanne Barry, principal of Our Lady of Mercy School, East Greenwich, recalled that when she began teaching more than 50 years ago, school doors were not locked and volunteers did not have to undergo background checks.

“You didn’t think about these things,” she said.

Sister Barry and Anthony Bastia, assistant principal of Our Lady of Mercy School, recently met with six members of the East Greenwich Police Dept. to discuss school safety.

With railroad tracks located just four blocks from the school, law enforcement officials want to create an evacuation plan that best serves the school community in case of a train derailment, gas leak or other accident, she added.

Sister Barry responded to the Connecticut shooting by issuing an e-mail to parents that included Bishop Thomas J. Tobin’s pastoral letter asking the faithful to pray for the victims, and informing them that Father Healey had ordered a safety audit.

Meanwhile, at La Salle Academy in Providence, the school maintains a general safety plan as well as a crisis plan, which is implemented in case of a fire or similar incident, according to Timothy Welsh, vice president for Institutional Advancement.

He said that in the event of a crisis, administrators could send an e-mail or record a telephone message that is sent to parents’ home or cell phones within a few minutes.

Welsh explained that during teacher orientation, school safety is a major concern and all staff are fully trained on policies.

Noting that school security has “changed over time,” Welsh said that faculty members stand outside before and after school. After 8:15 a.m., anyone seeking to enter the building can only gain access through the main door and sign-in with a security guard. Faculty members can enter the school through two doors by using a swipe card.

According to the school administrator, time logged video surveillance cameras are located at all doors, around the perimeter of the school and in hallways. The cameras are monitored by the principal and school facilities staff and recorded.

“Our goal is to make this campus a safe and secure learning environment so that our students and parents can focus on learning,” Welsh said.

Rep. Joseph M. McNamara (D-Dist.19, Warwick, Cranston), the chairman of the House Committee on Health, Education and Welfare, and a retired Pawtucket Public Schools administrator, organized a meeting on Jan. 23 at the Statehouse to review the adequacy of the state’s school emergency response plans.

McNamara, who authored the safety and emergency response laws enacted a decade ago emphasized that significant changes in communications technology and emergency response protocols warrant a comprehensive evaluation of the statutes.