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The Worcester Public Schools (WPS) is creating a Safety Advisory for Education (S.A.F.E) working group to review and advise the district administration on the continuous improvement addressing school safety, climate, and sense of belonging.
The WPS S.A.F.E. group will consist of representatives from district administration, building principals, assistant principals, high school deans, school counselors, teachers, paraeducators, support staff, Educational Association of Worcester (EAW) leadership, parents and caregivers, community members and organizations, local emergency management, and students.
If you are interested in participating on this working group, please apply using this link.
If you are interested in assisting the Worcester Public Schools on continuous improvement on school safety, student behavior, student discipline, student counseling and wellness, and restorative justice programs, please consider joining the WPS S.A.F.E. working group.
We ask that you read on to understand the expectations and commitment of group members, along with understanding the focus areas of the two subgroups.
Expectations and Commitment
Participation on the working group comes with the expectation of up to a two-year appointment with quarterly meetings throughout the year. Every effort will be made to schedule all meetings after the school day.
Each participant will be assigned to a sub-group based on selected preference where the groups will review current policies, practices, state laws, research, current trends, data review, and best practices. Recommendations around improvements to current practices and policies would come through full discussion within these sub-groups to the District Administration and the Worcester School Committee, as appropriate. The sub-group selection preference is included in the application link.
Two Subgroups
These two subgroups and areas of concentration will be as follows:
1) Subgroup on Student Safety & Sense of Belonging
Assessment of School Safety: Review appropriate sources of data to identify school safety issues (e.g., Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, data from local law enforcement, suspension/expulsion data, behavior referrals, counseling referrals, etc.).
Counseling and Wellness Services: Determine effective counseling and wellness services that are available to all students (e.g., psychological and social services, attendance improvement, dropout prevention and recovery, and appropriate referral systems for different types of student support).
Laws, Discipline Policies and Practices: Review existing district discipline rules and procedures to ensure that they are being appropriately enforced and address student behavior problems and school safety issues.
Safe Schools Programs and Strategies: Review and establish effective prevention/intervention programs and strategies used consistently to create a safe learning environment and to address school safety and violence prevention issues that may impact school campuses.
Collaborative Relationships: Identify best practices allowing students, parents, community organizations, and law enforcement agencies to be actively involved in activities that contribute to preventing violence and improving school safety.
2) Subgroup on Campus Safety, Training, and Funding
Campus Security: Review measures to ensure access to the school campus has been appropriately restricted; procedures are in place to address visitors to campus. The use of security personnel and security equipment (e.g., communication systems, surveillance cameras, and other detection devices, etc.) are appropriately utilized.
Training: Review and identify professional development needs for the district that include training on implementing a school safety plan, safe school strategies, crisis response training, consistent enforcement of school discipline policies, and identification and recognition of student mental health issues designed to determine an appropriate first response.
Funding: Determine available sources to address school safety issues. Investigate additional state or federal funding to improve school climate, respond to crises, improve classroom management, and provide comprehensive student mental health services.
First Meeting
The first S.A.F.E. meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, from 3:00-5:00 PM, at Worcester Technical High School (Conference Room), 1 Officer Manny Familia Way, Worcester.
If you have any questions, please email Kate Ota, Executive Assistant in the Office of the Deputy Superintendent, or call 508-799-3401.