VYPE Goose Creek August 2022

GCCISD held a two-day safety training in June. Attendees participated in a reunification exercise at Stallworth Stadium.

School Safety Still Top Priority in Goose Creek CISD BY: KRISTYN HUNT CATHEY, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

The safety of students and staff remains the district’s top priority. The district’s Safe and Secure Schools department, led by director Robert Marquez, reviews and updates the district’s Emergency Response Guide (ERG) quarterly and evaluates the safety measures on a year-round basis. The ERG provides a step-by-step method on crisis best practices. The department stays abreast of current events, and as methods of communication continue to evolve, updates its response methods to maximize the reliability and affectability of the crisis plan currently in place. Dr. Anthony Price, Chief Operations Officer, provides guidance to the department to ensure every step of the safety and reunification process is up-to date and complete. Goose Creek CISD continues to do the work to provide staff with access to training that will ensure the highest level of competence as it relates to the safety and security of our buildings and its inhabitants. “The district currently has fences surrounding all of our campuses, badges are required for entry, security cameras and more,” Marquez said. “We are grateful for the support and expertise of our Technology department as well as the GCCISD Police Department and it is our duty to remain steadfast in ensuring that our campuses are a safe place for our students to learn and our staff to work. Nothing is fool-proof and there is still more work to be done, but we are well on our way.” Training is one of the many ways in which the Safe and Secure Schools department provides resources to district staff members. Goose Creek was the host site for a reunification training in early June. The Harris County Department of Education’s Safe and Secure Schools department brought in the “I Love U Guys” Foundation to provide attendees with training on the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) as well as the Standard Reunification Method (SRM). District employees and local law enforcement from the Beaumont and Houston area attended the two-day event. The Foundation was the brainchild of John-Michael Keyes, who lost his daughter in the Platte Canyon High School shooting in 2006. Since then, he and his wife, along with Foundation members, have made it their mission to provide training on school and public safety to more than 30,000 schools, districts, departments, agencies,

organizations and communities across the globe. According to the Foundation’s website, the SRP is action based and is a response to any given situation; not on individual scenarios. The premise is the five specific actions that can be performed during an incident. Goose Creek CISD has adopted the Foundation’s SRP and included it in their annual Safe Schools training for all employees for the 2022-2023 school year. Dr. Price believes in the importance of keeping students, staff and stakeholders informed on the protocol. “We send a copy of the SRP home to all of our families because we want them to be aware, if and when the times comes, of what each step of the process means,” he said. “Our main priority is the safety of our students, faculty and staff and we continue to build upon and improve the safety measures we currently have in place from year to year.” John-Michael Keyes, founder of the I Love U Guys Foundation, goes over the reunification process with a training attendee.