Amanda Ternes

Safety and Visitors Policy

EDL 634

Saginaw Valley State University

Dr. Jonathon Gould

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The school that I work at is a full inclusive center base program for students who have

severe special needs. Our school services the whole county and all the local districts. Our student

we service are from 3-26 years old and come from all different backgrounds. Just about all of our

older students have been at our school since they were three years old. Parents really love our

school and feel comfortable having their children with such special needs attend.

This year at our school the administration put a new policy into affect for the safety of

our school and students. In the previous years leading up to this new policy, a parent/guardian

could just walk in the building and take their child to class. This was also the case with county

workers, case managers, group home staff, and community living support specialist workers

(CLS workers). The range of people that were aloud to enter our school and walk back to

classrooms had a big impact on our classrooms. Not that any classroom doesnt welcome visitors

or volunteers. This has always been a key issue for the last couple years that as a teacher and

classroom staff we would like to have a plan or policy in place regulating the operation of

visitors to our school and classrooms. This is a concern of all staff that works in the classroom.

Our building administration saw a need to visit this idea and put a policy into affect. But it had

been the culture of our school for so long. Teachers, administration and other staff had to look at

this closely when dealing with the effects on the parents and visitors.

Our school operates just like the locals, but with less security. We have the main office

located in the front of the building. From the office is an open corridor that leads to each hall that

goes through our building. There is no security guard or hall monitor on duty. Doors are not

locked and anyone has free access to our halls and classrooms. Each classroom has a door
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leading to the outside that is locked and numbered. But the main concern is our office entry and

other doors leading into the building. Because of the range of people that enter our school on

any given day and time we need to make sure we are secure and have a policy in place that we

can reference and look to in time where clarification is needed. As a school the process of

creating a school visitor policy was a task. In order to find a common ground and a policy that

works for the whole school and district two communities are put into place. One called school

and safety from and for our school and the other was district wide with representation from all

schools involved. This is not just our school problem but a district problem as well. The district

wants all policies to be the same no matter what school youre at and also if students transfer

building. Everyone is following the same steps and looking at the same regulations and

procedure. The committees met twice a month and covered ideas, thoughts, strategies and

concerns from all sides and points of view. The main focus (THE WHY we are dong this) was

the safety of our student around the school and in the classrooms. The first order of business for

our school safety committee was to email out a survey to staff about school and safety. They got

the results and then broke them down into strategies and concerns to take to the district wide

committee meetings. As a school, according to Gruenert (2008) If culture is the personality of

the organization, then climate represents that organizations attitude. It is much easier to change

an organizations attitude (climate) than it is to change its personality (culture) (p.58). This lead

the committee to the attitude of the staff and giving them a chance to buy in, which in turn will

help them to better support the new policy and help change the culture over time.

After a month or two there was a policy in place and all staff was notified via email and

staff meeting. The new policy is to take affect. How you should react to certain situations giving

the information about the customs will give you a sense of about the culture (Gruenert, 2008). As
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a principal in this situation, utilizing staff is key. Training all staff so they are up to date on the

policy is the biggest way to effectively put this policy in place. All staff is going know that

parents need to stop at the office, give their drivers license to the secretaries, sign in and wear a

visitors pass. Secondly, parents cannot leave the office, the secretaries will page the classroom

staff to come down or some one (administration, psychologist, social worker, nurse, office aid)

will escort them back to the classroom. For any county visitor that comes to a classroom they

have to make an appointment via teacher and social worker/psychologist. The county workers

visit will have purpose and they will be escorted by the social worker in the building until they

leave. This helps promote less time distracting the classroom or taking the teacher away,

breaking any HIPA laws and making sure that the meeting stays focused. The use of technology

in this case will help clarify the policy. A memo is sent out to all agencies and the county work

program detailing our new policy and procedures. The information is also up on our website and

the district website as well for those who have access. A letter is going will all students along

with the policy. The office will have copies and post the new policy for parents coming in.

It is very imperative that we as a staff come together making no exceptions to the rules

and policies. There is an area next to the office where parents, county workers and visitors can

wait. This area will be monitored by office staff and lunch aids. Hallway doors will be shut right

after morning bus duty to help close off the halls to the school. All doors leading outside will be

locked after morning bus duty and will remain locked until afternoon bus duty. This will be the

responsibility of our custodial staff. When all doors are locked all staff must enter and exit the

building through the front doors. Locked doors are not to be propped open, used for staff

convenience or let someone in. Signs will be placed on all doors asking visitors to enter at the
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main doors and check in at the office. At no time is a building employee to open any locked door

for a parent or anyone they know.

As teachers, administration and building staff everyone needs to be on the same page and

support one another. As the principal I will have an open door policy when it come to staff and

families that may have an issue. This policy and the procedures where put into place to protect

and keep our students staff in school. Many parents where taking advantage of the lack of policy

and staying to long in classrooms, showing up with their child at all times of the day, and

evading the privacy of other students. All classrooms like to have parent involvement but it

needs to be parent involvement that is meaningful and productive.

All schools have a visitors policy. Which can differ from ours, they could be stricter or

more secure that all depends on situational circumstances. As a school and as a district we decide

that for right now, the policy in place works for our school and its needs. I understand that it

wont always be correct and may need some changes as time, technology, and our county

changes. Our school and its population is a vulnerable one. They need to protected and

advocated for. We have procedures dealing with threats, lock downs, severe weather and

missing child. Why wouldnt we have a clear policy for visitors?

Data shows that there was an increase in classroom productivity and time management.

Since the policy has been in affect, the school has had a reduction on meeting with county

workers, CLS workers and group home staff. Now, because our school has a clear policy, most

of the interactions with all visitors are meaningful and attentive. County workers gave the school

positive feedback for having planned meetings and supervised. It keeps everyone focused.

Teachers can plan instruction around a meeting when they know about it. Also, teachers feel
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more prepared. In certain classrooms teachers have surveyed since the policy, instruction time

has increase 30-40 minutes a day and 4-5 hours a month. This is very substantial considering the

time that was lost. Staff is also committed to making this work through weekly/monthly

reminders to parents and reminded them to sign their students in and out. Other ways are to stop

some one who is not wearing a visitors sticker and redirecting parents and visitors who have

bypassed the office to go back so they can be accompanied. The heart of improvement and

growth in any building is positive school culture (Habegger, 2008). The positive supports of the

staff will directly have a positive impact for parents, county workers and any visitor to our

school. Moreover, our school will be safe and feel safe.

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References

Gruenert, S. (2008). School Culture, They are not the same thing. Principal, 56-59.

Habegger, S. (2008). The Principals role in Successful Schools: Creating a positive

school culture. Principal, 42-46.

Kaufman, R., Ring. M. (2011) Pathways to Leadership and Professional Development:

inspiring novice special educators. Council for Exceptional Children, 52-60