After giving his presentation on school security at the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Aug. 13, assistant superintendent Alvie Cater looks at his fellow board members.
The Board of Education announced goals for the upcoming school year at a meeting on Monday, Aug. 13. Students may notice new changes implemented at the school and district, such as a focus on technology, safety and mental health.
While some changes will not be visible to the community, many directly impact the students, such as an increased focus on student access to technology through a ‘One for One’ plan, according to board member Kevin Makalous. At the school, this plan will be piloted in social studies teacher Chris McAfee’s classes.
Along with access to technology, information and training for parents regarding suicide awareness and prevention will be a focus for the district starting in September. This movement will be spearheaded by superintendent Frank Harwood and assistant superintendent Alvie Cater.
In addition, security systems in the district will be changed, with a new visitor access system in particular. According to Cater, these systems will include audio and video footage of visitors requesting access to the school, before allowing visitors into the school for additional verification.
“The whole idea of the secured door visitor access system is to provide that barrier, just a little more time, before we let anyone in,” Cater said.
Students may also have noticed a change in seminar policy, such as closing travel for the full block on Monday afternoons and a quarterly meeting to utilize tools such as Career Cruising. This is due to a new focus on Independent Plans of Study (IPS) being implemented at the middle and high schools.
Cater also anticipates larger involvement from the business community in regards to student career exploration.
“I think really what you’re going to see over time is a better partnership with our business in the Kansas City Metro working with schools to expose our young people to opportunities that you probably didn’t know exist,” Cater said.
Ultimately, Makalous hopes that these changes will demonstrate the importance of the district to the wider community.