Durant Independent School District
District Administration
School Safety
The safety practices implemented at DISD
Statement of safe school practice
Adapted from a statement written by
Ann Flanagan
APR Director of Public Information (retired)
In the spring of 1998, it became apparent to educators across the United States that a Crisis Management Plan was essential for every school district. In light of the school tragedies which were already beginning to occur at that time, training in critical areas became a necessity for all school personnel.
A Crisis Management Guide was developed during the summer of 1998 for the Durant Independent School District. This reference guide was printed, distributed and reviewed with all school personnel at the beginning of that school year.
During the fall semester of 1998, a district manual was developed and a team from each campus received intensive crisis management training. These teams, consisting of principals, counselors, teachers and support personnel, were charged with the responsibility of providing training for the entire staff at each campus. Community members representing various organizations were also an important part of the crisis training program.
Since that time, the Crisis Management Plan has been reviewed at each campus at the beginning of each semester. While the Durant Schools have been very fortunate in not having the kinds of tragedies experienced by so many schools across the nation, we have had occasion to put our Crisis Plan into effect following the deaths of students at two of our campuses. In each instance, the school crisis plan was immediately implemented to bring comfort and restore order to the lives of our students and staff. A tremendous number of community members came into our schools to provide assistance during each of these crises. The Ministerial Alliance and the Retired Teachers Association were there to provide support and assistance. There were also counselors present from Southern Oklahoma Mental Health Services as well as several private psychological counseling agencies. The strong community support, coupled with trained school personnel, enabled us to deal with these tragedies with a great degree of professionalism while comfort was offered and routine was re-established in our schools.
As educators from Columbine, Colorado, to Fort Gibson, Oklahoma, have told us, "There is no way a school district can ever be completely ready to cope with every kind of crisis." However, the Durant Independent School District has made every effort to make our schools as safe as possible. Security cameras have been installed at several of our campuses. In addition to our crisis training and review, we have employed two full-time armed security guards from the Bryan County Sheriff's Department. These deputies have done a tremendous job of maintaining order in our schools. The very presence of their marked cars and uniforms have proven to be a deterrent to even minor infractions of school rules. The deputies are also assisting the schools with student truancy issues.
A continuous flow of new information regarding safe school practices is disseminated to our school personnel. This information goes out via e-mail and staff newsletters, as well as review during administrative staff meetings. Our pledge to the students, parents, and community is that we will continue to exercise every effort to maintain a safe and secure environment of learning in the Durant Independent School District.