In the fall of 2006, Natick Public Schools and Police and Fire Departmentsentered into a joint agency agreement to improve the safety and to create a caringenvironment for Natick students. Under the leadership of the superintendent, school, police and fire departments and other agencies within the Town, theestablishment of the Natick School Threat Assessment and Response System (STARS) was formed.The Team’s mission is to address what steps the districtshould take to reduce or eliminate risk to life and property (prevention), to plan for the worst case scenario (preparedness), what actions should be taken during a crisis (response) and how to restore the learning environment after a crisis (recovery).
During the 2007-2008, Natick’sfocus was on preparedness and response. Meetings and trainings were scheduled to review individual schools’ needs assessments and to engage the STARS Response Team (SRT) in the development of Natick STARS program. Crisis Response Manual (Flip-Chart) and Go-Kits for Administration and Individual classrooms were distributed as recommended by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Response strategies to cope with a worst case scenariowere rehearsed during a STARS Full Scale Exercise on April 10, 2008 at Kennedy Middle School. Participants and observers were asked to complete a survey that allowed the Team to review procedures and determine areas for improvement.
STAR Response Team’sfocus during the 2008-2009 school is prevention and recovery. Student Intervention Teams,which have been set up at each school, will be equippedtopresent coping skills to students who may harm self or others and to offer non-violent crisis intervention as required. Existing anti-bullying programs will be expanded with a specific focus on cyber-bullying. Increased student access to the use of networking websites, e.g., Facebook.com and My Space.com, and cell phone technology (cameras, video and texting) have brought tougher challenges to parents and school officials. A Task Force has been created to address these specific issues and to provide training for parents on ways to discuss internet and cell phone abuse with their children.
Current recovery procedures willcontinue to be studied and improved during the 2008-2009 school year. A multi-agency recovery plan will include a practice drill in parent reunification at a school to be determined. Other testing exercises will be reviewed and discussed throughout the school year.
Brett Conaway, Natick Police Sergeant, and Lauren Gilbert, Director of Pupil Services, will continue to attend area workshops and trainings that offer strategies that have proven to be effective and to explore other methods to improve crisis prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.