Superintendent's Article
School safety is of paramount importance for Marcellus Community Schools. In order to bolster safety and security protocols, the district continues to focus on training staff and staying abreast of best practices.
Last school year, a small group of Marcellus Community Schools’ team members participated in the State of Michigan- Office of School Safety/ Michigan State Police’s Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) training. This school year, several additional staff members were trained. The training allowed the district to establish a BTAM team that can properly conduct behavioral threat assessments. In April, the training will continue when area schools’ BTAM teams come together for table top exercises. Participants will use case studies to conduct threat assessments and will be able to discuss and learn from each other.
In an ongoing commitment to enhance safety measures, the district regularly reviews our Emergency Operations Plan, including intruder, fire and tornado preparedness and response. The goal is to ensure that students and staff are well-prepared to respond effectively in case of an emergency. As best practices evolve, and in consultation with safety experts, we periodically consider updates to safety and security protocols.
Later this month, the district will investigate the A.L.I.C.E. intruder response plan. The acronym stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. While the district has not adopted A.L.I.C.E., it is important that school officials continuously evaluate response protocols. Toward that end, one of the district’s BTAM team members will travel to Ludington this month to learn more about A.L.I.C.E, become a certified ALICE trainer, and potentially provide training to Marcellus Community Schools’ staff. Revisions to the district plan, if any, will be done in collaboration with local law enforcement and Emergency Management, and with the best interest of students, staff and the entire school community in mind.
For questions about Marcellus Community Schools’ safety protocols, including drills and training, please reach out to me at nanette.pauley@marcelluscs.org.
