Safety was the watchword of last week’s meeting of the Public School Board, with parents and staff alike weighing in on security at Wrangell’s public schools.
The crux of their concern was an incident involving a high school student on February 12, in which the student was recorded by peers during class discussing the setting off of fireworks or explosives at the school, with the intention of getting expelled. Faculty and the school administration had been alerted to the conversation by concerned students afterward.
Superintendent Patrick Mayer reported the Wrangell Police Department had been notified immediately, and the matter investigated.
Chief Doug McCloskey confirmed that the department had been involved, but ultimately in an advisory capacity, as the incident had not warranted criminal proceedings. Contrary to rumors that have since circulated, McCloskey said no knives or other weapons had been found in the student’s possession.
The matter was left to school administrators for disciplinary action, and Mayer noted the district had dealt with it in accordance with its policies. Due to privacy considerations for the students and staff who may be involved, he did not go into either the identity of the student or details of the incident.
During last Thursday meeting’s Persons to be Heard segment, resident Andrew Hoyt had prepared a statement on behalf of Parent Advocates for Wrangell Students Safety (PAWSS), a group newly formed as a result of the incident. Hoyt conveyed the group’s support for the Wrangell Teachers Association’s recent requests to improve the district’s safety policies and procedures; at past meetings, the association has been pushing for better locks and security protocols. PAWSS also commended the WTA for its collaboration with local law enforcement.
Hoyt suggested some recommendations could be taken further, such as extending policies related to deterring threats to school safety to include threats by any means, including knives and explosives. He also expressed disappointment that the explosives incident had not been mentioned in either the superintendent or secondary principal’s reports to the school board, and that students’ parents had not been notified of it afterward.
PAWSS also felt three days’ in-school suspension for the student had been inadequate, and contended the other students who had reported the incident were being actively discouraged from speaking up again in future. The group requests that the board hold an executive session to assess the incident and administrative response, with the hope that some measure of closer collaboration between the board, PAWSS, students and staff could be held in future to prevent violence on Wrangell campuses.
A number of parents involved with the group were present, making the meeting standing room only for some. Other parents and school faculty had opportunities to speak publicly to the matter as well. One, teacher Therese Pempek, said she felt the situation had been handled appropriately, and that due to privacy considerations there would be a number of details the public would not be privy to. As such, she cautioned community members against engaging in spreading rumors.
“Find out the facts before you say something,” she commented.
That said, Pempek felt the school system could do with at least one clinical counselor on staff. The grant for such a counseling position servicing both campuses is due to conclude at the end of the school year, but it is uncertain whether that will be retained afterward.
Also speaking to the incident, teacher Anne Luetkemeyer thought the PAWSS group and parental interest was “excellent,” and was encouraged by the group’s desire to work more closely with the schools.
“This is how the school board meeting should be,” she said. “People should be involved.”
Luetkemeyer was also hopeful more parents would take up their concerns with the school district in a similarly direct manner. She echoed Pempek’s concern about rumors, noting grievances aired on social media platforms like Facebook had a tendency to blow themselves out of proportion and were not constructive.
After the meeting, board president Georgianna Buhler confirmed she would like to look at the schools’ weapons and crisis response policies as a board, recommending a separate work session be held to address those. Already scheduled, faculty will be partaking in a threat response workshop (see ALICE story) later this week.
Safety was not the only topic broached at last week’s school meeting. Parent and swim coach Jamie Roberts brought forward a proposal to start up a high school swim team. Wrangell Swim Club is currently the only platform for youth interested in the sport, going through the middle school level. The club was only started in 2012, and is now in its second season of competitive participation.
Roberts explained a group of her older swimmers will be headed to high school next year, and suggested the addition of swimming to the school’s extracurricular activities would allow them to continue honing their skills. Parent Diane O’Brien added to this, saying her youngest daughter was an avid participant in the program. Continuing to develop the program would not only encourage better swimmers among residents, but would also build up the pool of potential lifeguards at the public swimming facilities.
Thursday’s meeting was also preceded by student activity highlights. The elementary school’s new student council introduced itself to the board and brought members up to speed on its initiatives. The kids have been working hard to bring back “red day,” the school’s weekly spirit day, and had recently raised $125 for leukemia treatment through a piggy-bank fundraiser.
The high school’s student government had recently met with school administration and the board to convey their concerns. The most widely-stressed problem among the student body is a lack of parking, representatives reported. Other suggestions included adding more nutritional alternatives to the school lunch program, and the addition of advance placement and college credit earning courses, which could give Wrangell graduates a leg up when seeking out scholarship opportunities.
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