School leaders attend a workshop on school safety

The Diocese of Corpus Christi Office of Catholic Schools conducted the second of a three-part workshop series entitled "Leaders for School Safety Workshop Series." These workshops focus on school safety and topics under its purview, such as protocol, preparedness, and management.

April Esparza, School Health Services Coordinator for the diocesan office, led the second workshop, "Leaders for School Safety Planning Session" on Feb. 8, with Catholic Schools Superintendent Dr. Rosemary Henry, school principals, and members of the administration in attendance. School leaders engaged in various discussions on developments within school safety.

“The workshop explored the scope and complexity of school safety and presented a new framework to aid in continuous improvement efforts,” Esparza said.

The Office of Catholic Schools places a high emphasis on school safety, viewing a safe environment as crucial in helping students and staff live out the Catholic Schools’ mission for the present and future generations to come. Currently, a program called Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is implemented in Diocesan Catholic Schools to foster a safe, secure and nurturing school environment.

“Together, our school leaders, teachers and staff are committed to assuring that our students experience safe, stable and nurturing classrooms,” Dr. Henry said. “We strive to create a safe place for students to build their confidence, to take risks and to explore the world around them. Such an environment is important for students of all ages.”

The positive correlation between student physical safety on-campus and student academic performance was discussed among those present at the workshop and practical ways to continue building a safe on-campus environment. School leaders also reflected and shared risk management scenarios and improved school safety at Catholic schools.

Each Catholic school has an active and well-established Emergency Management Plan in place, along with a safety team. The workshop offered a new framework for schools to consider, dividing school safety into three areas: Culture, Climate, and Wellbeing; Physical Safety and Security; and Policy Procedure and Emergency Management. The framework is intended to help schools better identify and prioritize goals for safety.
           
The next Schools Safety workshop will be in March and in collaboration with the Corpus Christi Emergency Management Office to provide ongoing professional safety development training for school leaders.