Mantua – In light of the recent school shooting in Seattle, Washington, Crestwood District Superintendent David Toth shared the information about safety procedures at the start of this month’s School Board meeting. Toth shared, “I got into this field to educate kids, not necessarily to talk about guns in schools, but unfortunately, it’s a reality of the time. That being said, we do multiple drills here at the Crestwood District, to try to be prepared for as many situations that we can to protect our students and staff.”
Toth went on to explain how the District uses a drill technique called ‘A.L.I.C.E.,’ (which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate). They also provide training videos with professional staff to provide them with guidance and support to help them anticipate what to expect and how to react in the event of an active shooter incident at school. At a recent professional development day for teachers and staff, the schools underwent an active shooter drill where law enforcement officers shot blanks in the school buildings in order to make teachers and staff aware of the sound such a disturbance creates. They trained staff in how to respond, and what to expect, should first responders enter the schools. Further, the district utilizes hard and soft lockdown drills with students and staff on random school days, to give students and staff time the opportunity to utilize best practices, should the need ever arise.
In addition, district officials meet twice yearly with local police, rescue and sheriff’s office personnel in order to keep apprised of the latest safety information and procedures. Speaking on behalf of himself and his staff, Toth remarked, “The way we see it, they’re all our kids. We’re trying to do the best we can to make the outcome, if it should happen, the best we can for our students and our staff.” In summation, Toth directed individuals to contact his office, or his building principals, should they have any questions or concerns about school safety.
Moving on, Middle School mathematics teachers Eddie Judd and David Wesley shared information on a new College Preparatory Mathematics program (CPM), being rolled out for Crestwood’s eighth graders. The goal of the program is to make college-preparatory mathematics accessible to all students by providing the latest professional development and curriculum materials in line with the Common Core standards. CPM courses are used in 35 states, and over the past 20 years, more than 5,000,000 students have taken CPM courses. Mr. Judd and Mr. Wesley shared that the program will start with students in the eighth grade, but the program will eventually incorporate students at both the Middle and High Schools in courses from Algebra up to Calculus.
Lastly, the Board recognized four employees for being named ‘Employee of the Month’ within the District. Intermediate School Teacher Kristin Patton and Food Service employee Jane Petro were recognized in the month of September, and Middle School Teacher Eddie Judd and Custodian Butch Mills were recognized in the month of October.
The next meeting of the Crestwood School Board will be held at the High School Library on Monday, December 1st at 7 pm. The Crestwood community is encouraged to attend.
