PTO General Meeting 05-23-17

Opening – Kira McDonnell, El Presidente

-Thanked the membership for a great year!

-Budget Review – Kristen Salfas

  • $7K expenditures, $5K pending reimbursement vs. $24K line item for teacher grants
  • Remaining reimbursement requests due by 05-31 so we can close books by EOM June
  • Expecting apx $8-10K remaining after we pay out remaining obligations

-Outlined results of staff survey for use of remaining funds

  • 3 methodologies used to capture teacher feedback;
  • Motion moved and seconded. Approved by membership

-Voting for new board positions

  • Good bye and thank you to 3 board members ‘retiring’ – Traci Murphy, Nicole McKee, and Alicia Alexander
  • Director of Fundraising – Katy Richardson
  • VP Elementary – Melissa Irwin
  • Treasurer – Grant Coordinator– Jessica Benoit
  • UA Teacher Liaison – Amy Archer & David Kelleher
  • 3rd -5th Liaison – Still open

Volunteer coordinator – Lisa Capretto

-Thank you for all your help!

-LWB over 50 teachers and parents and 60 children volunteered!

-David Kelleher thanked the PTO for their support of Drama Club

  • Drama Club – raised $700 to stay with the UA program to use toward future shows, festivals, etc.

Field Day – Kira McDonnell

-Signup genius – please sign up. If anything changes with field day, that is our opportunity to reach out to you

-Admin will make the call re: weather plan on Thursday

Stephanie Armstrong

-3 kinds of drills: Internal lockdown (lock internal doors and stay in location), External Lockdown (perimeter secured), and Intruder

-Had a lockdown drill today – medical issue that occurred and it was around the time of lunch, middle school transition, etc– EMT’s came in – apx 35 mins total

  • It went as well as it could have been
  • Child was safe, nurse wasn’t here but substitute was here, people stayed where they were asked to be

Dan Salfas – Violent Intruder Preparedness Response (VIPR)

-32 people through state go through training

  • Dan Salfas - DSP
  • Past 10 yrs – School resource youth aid division – RCCSD, Colonial, Christina
  • Corporate Cochran – 23.5 years in DSP
  • School Resource officer

-Active shooter situations - 2/month for the past 8 years

-When they arrive on the scene they need to neutralize the situation and you may see them need to pass by victims to address the source of the violence

-Good rule of thumb – LUV

  • Keep a LOW profile
  • Be UNPREDICTABLE
  • Remain VIGILANT
  • When you go somewhere, look for the exit, be aware of your surroundings

-3 options with an active situation

  • Run *does not override school policy*
  • Evacuate while alerting others
  • Quickly help others in need but don’t argue to compel
  • Leave personal items behind
  • Prevent others from entering
  • Call 911 when safe
  • This is a mentally difficult thing to do since you are leaving people behind
  • Hide
  • If impossible to evaluate, hide in a secure area
  • Lock door, barricade w/heavy furniture/equipment
  • Cover windows, lights off, remain hidden, use cover
  • Remain silent, turn off electronics including phone
  • Consider options to escape/fight utilizing any available item
  • If they can’t see you, they may move along
  • Fight
  • If impossible to run/hide, incapacitate shooter
  • Fully commit to your actions with aggression
  • Consider using ordinary items as improvised weapons
  • Seek assistance; action is faster than reaction
  • Control muzzle, attack eyes, overwhelm shooter
  • Mental illness/sociopaths – you can confront them by fighting – they don’t want obstacles so may move on
  • When they are not confronted with an obstacle, that is when carnage ensues
  • If threat is neutralized
  • Provide medical care (police have to render first aid to criminal)
  • Detain shooter for police arrival or flee area
  • Secure weapon under or inside of empty trash can
  • Leave area in current condition
  • Call 911 to update status and provide exact location

-Motivating factors

  • Workplace violence
  • Domestic violence
  • Hate crime
  • Mental illness/sociopaths
  • Terrorism (ISIS, Al-Shabbab)

-Discussion ensured

  • Will add to PTO board list to get feedback regarding opportunities to improve security. May have an opportunity to direct PTO funding to these opportunities. (gates to secure sections of school, upgrade doorknobs to be push button, Kevlar coverings for windows, etc). Can contact Brian Moore to tour our school and give us some information.