Chesterfield’s School Safety Task Force recently completed its list of recommendations, which are scheduled to be considered by the school board Dec. 11.
Four working groups presented their recommendations Oct. 31 at the Chesterfield Tech Center.
Among the recommendations are: that the state and Chesterfield adopt best practices for professional-to-student staffing ratios in regard to school psychologists, social workers, nurses and counselors; develop a plan to fund and sustain multi-tiered “whole child” frameworks, such as social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care, restorative practices, and positive behavior interventions and support; increase funding for mental health staffing; provide education instead of suspension for students who use drugs or alcohol; increase implementation of plans to increase parental involvement; create a school command and emergency systems position and a school safety app that can be used in a school setting; develop a five-year budget plan to add School Resource Officers in elementary schools; add a locked vestibule with safety glass for access to each school that lacks one; and add a stipend position for a designated safety team leader at each school (not an administrator). The safety team leaders would have a passion for safety and be a liaison with multiple safety-related groups.
A controversial proposal to add armed mentors to 10 elementary schools was dropped because Working Group 2 felt they did not have adequate time to fully examine the subject.
Donald Green, who had been the school’s director of safety and security and was a co-director of Working Group 2, was fired by the district in July. His dismissal came after the district learned of some controversial Facebook posts that were apparently Green’s.
