Keynotes
Youth Violence Intervention Program
The Office of School Safety is implementing the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Comprehensive Gang Model in a school setting at Bartram High School. Youth Violence Intervention Program (YVRI) aims to reduce youth violence and victimization in the target areas as measured by reduction in shootings involving students in schools where the intervention is active, reduced shootings in the community surrounding the schools, as well as a reduction in gang involvement among students. This $1 Million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice provides core support for this project.
School Safety Officer Questions on the District-Wide Survey
Each year, the Office of Research and Evaluation (ORE) administers the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) District-Wide Survey (DWS) to Philadelphia schools. These surveys, which are administered to students, parents/guardians, teachers, school support staff, and principals/assistant principals, measure key topics related to school improvement. Results from the 2021-2022 DWS of students revealed that 80.4% of students said they trust their School Safety Officer (SSO), 85% of students said they feel respected by their SSO, and 78.8% of students said their SSO helps them calm down when they are having trouble.
Operations Update
Overtime Issue
We are aware of an issue that occurred with the batch of overtime at the end of December and first week of January. There was a system wide error that prevented everyone’s overtime from being processed. You do not need to resubmit anything. If you have any issues always send an email to tlwright@philasd.org and your direct Supervisor and it will be looked into and a response will be sent to you explaining what occurred. Our sincere apologies for the delay but please know this issue was looked into and corrected as soon as possible.
Call Off Procedure / Kronos
Please ensure you are following all correct call out procedures by making notification to your direct supervisor, assigned school location, radio dispatch and Aesop (Frontline) when calling off sick, personal or illness in the family. Please note failure to follow the correct procedures can result in F61 coding. When returning from any absence you must provide your direct Supervisor and building administrator a copy of your completed SEH-86 or SEH-3 form along with documentation for your absence (doctors note 3 or more absences, funeral card, jury duty notice etc). Jury duty notices turned in two weeks prior to the date can be submitted to your Supervisor and you will be excused. You must sign in and out using the Kronos Kiosk daily upon arrival with your school district issued ID. You are prohibited from using the mobile app to sign in and out. If for any reason the Kronos clock is not working or your ID is not registering please reach out to your direct Supervisor for further instructions. Failure to sign/in through Kronos daily will result in progressive discipline.
Work Injury Protocol
If injured on duty you must report your injury to the principal, administrator and your Supervisor as soon as it is practical. In accordance with District policy contact will be made with the Incident Desk, an incident report completed and a PMA to report your injury will be filed. Medical treatment is to be sought from the District’s medical panel provider and the list will be made available to you. If returned to work in a light duty capacity all physical therapy appointments must be scheduled after work hours and all documentation from your appointments must be turned in to your Supervisor at the conclusion of all appointments and submitted to me via email at tlwright@philasd.org. If placed OOW (out of work) you must provide updated doctors information at the conclusion of your doctors appointments.
Promotional Exams
We are nearing the end of the eligibility list for Supervisors and Area Managers. You will be notified when the application opens. Please remember attendance, mentoring, mediations and interest in assisting with training are all great attributes for our Supervisory staff. You will be given study materials to ensure you do your very best.
Threat Assessment Update
School Safety hired two Threat Assessment Liaisons who are responsible for triaging student threats at schools.
All reports of violence that involve the threat to use a weapon, or a threat to kill, inflict severe injury to self or others with intent and a plan to carry out the threat must be immediately reported in real time to the School Safety Radio Dispatch at (215) 400-6000. When reporting threats to dispatch, officers must provide the date and time of the threat, the student name and ID number, and the details of the threat. As a reminder, officers should review the OSS Threat Assessment Desk Reference for the complete protocol.
Listserv Update
We have been facing some challenges with the listserv since transitioning over to Google. Some of you have not been receiving the training emails and other crucial communications. We have been working with the IT department to resolve this issue. In the meantime, please continue to forward the communications sent to your colleagues, who did not receive them and check the staff portal frequently for updates. Additionally, please email Coordinator, Taylor Harrigan at tharrigan@philasd.org when you do not receive an email(s) so it can be documented with the IT department.
Personnel and Hiring
Current Hiring and Promotional Announcements
During the coming days, several new opportunities will be shared on the School Safety list-serv or via communications directly from SDP Talent. The Office of Talent will be contacting all current 10-month Officers regarding four current openings to move into a 12-month Officer role. Applications will also open shortly for the position of School Safety Dispatcher. Officers can also anticipate a communication soon about the opening of a special detail position supporting the School Safety Youth Violence Reduction Initiative (YVRI) at Bartram High School. YVRI is a program that is currently being implemented at Bartram High School. It is a highly targeted intervention seeking to reduce youth violence and victimization.
Looking Ahead to Future Hiring and Promotional Processes
Next month, we will open hiring for our next class of School Safety Officers. The anticipated start date for our next class will be in early August 2023. We need the help and support of all members of the School Safety team to help us identify our next class of outstanding Officers. More information will be shared when the position is officially opened. Finally, we anticipate opening the next round of promotional testing and hiring for the positions of School Safety Supervisor and Area Manager toward the end of the current school year.
Training Updates
Online Instancy Courses
The transition to Instancy as the Office of School Safety’s learning management system (LMS) has been a success! During the last 3 online training District-Wide Professional Development (DWPD) days, 94% of Office of School Safety staff completed their online training assignment by the due date! Full FAQs and helpful tips on how to use the Instancy system can be found on the OSS Training Library, linked here.
Ongoing Safety-Care Training (Officer Recertification)
Through the end of the school year, officers with expired certifications will be pulled in groups of 10-15 to complete Safety-Care recertification at Motivation High School. Depending on your certification status, you will be asked via email to complete either a 1- or 2-day course. Training starts promptly at 8:00 AM on your assigned day. Please continue to check your email regularly and to inform your direct supervisor of any upcoming training assignments.
Training Topic Request Google Form
Request a training topic or session through this linked Google Form! Requests can be made for virtual or in-person sessions.
Program Updates
Drone Program
The Office of School Safety, in partnership with Aerial Systems Incorporated, has implemented a School Safety Aerial Support Program at Bartram High School. Students, Philadelphia Police Officers and School Safety Personnel are being trained and certified to safely operate drones to support dismissal, special events and sporting events. This program provides School Safety Officers and Philadelphia Police Officers with a unique opportunity to mentor youth who participate in the program, and will allow students to help promote the safety of their school and community while gaining valuable skills and certifications that will enable them to pursue employment opportunities in many high-demand fields including real estate, logistics, film making and construction. Students will also learn valuable skills, concepts and ideas that will help them academically while earning graduation credits, as the concepts learned in the curriculum are derived from physics, science, geography and mathematics including reading and interpreting maps, weather instrumentation, the physics of flight, and knowledge of general aviation concepts and laws.
We are now working on expanding the OSS Drone Program to cover an additional 6 locations, including Vaux, Lincoln, Dobbins, MLK, Mastbaum & Overbrook HS. I will be reaching out to each location to identify 2 SSOs who will be trained and certified. Participants in the program will complete a Drone Lecture Part 107 Test Preparation Course, which will prepare them to pass the FAA Uncrewed Aviation General (UAG) Exam at a certified Airman’s Knowledge Testing Center. Participants will also receive Pilot in Command Ground Flight School Training.
Safe Path Expansion
The OSS has implemented a Safe Path program to provide additional supervision and support for students traveling to and from school to reduce the rate of violence experienced by our students. The program launched at the start of the 2022-23 school year with a contracted partner – the Institute for the Development of African-American Youth (IDAAY). IDAAY Safe Path Monitors work in teams to observe and report student safety issues along specified routes, share information, and report any suspicious or unusual activities to the Office of School Safety and, when necessary, the Philadelphia Police Department.
Schools and surrounding areas currently served by the Safe Path program include Bartram High School, Edison High School, Lincoln High School, Mastbaum High School, Roxborough High School & Sayre High School. Phase 1 of the expansion will include Ben Franklin High School, Conwell Middle School, Dobbins High School, Overbrook High School, Philadelphia Military Academy, Motivation High School, Vaux Big Picture High School & Wagner Middle School.
Through a grant-funded partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Injury Science Center, the Office of School Safety anticipates at least eight additional schools will be served by the Safe Path program during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. Additional schools to be served will be determined based on a model using multiple data points to guide the expansion of the Safe Path program, including student perceptions of safety from the District-wide survey, serious incidents reported in the areas outside of school, and arrest data from the area outside of school.
Camera System Updates
Office of School Safety Request Form
All staff that should be using the google form to report all new Aiphone, camera and intrusion alarm issues as well as requests for video footage. That form link is https://sites.google.com/philasd.org/school-safety-requests/home
Camera System Assessment Updates
The CCTV consultant we have been working with has completed all assessments of our camera systems and drafted a final report including recommendations and financial projections. We are reviewing that report with two pertinent departments we partner with for this work in order for our consultant to make any final changes needed. We will use the final report when we make our budget proposals to Capital Programs. In the meantime, please check your camera systems on a regular basis and complete a maintenance request for any new issues you find. We have just begun to work with two vendors to supplement the repair work that our two techs, Ben and Jamal, perform. Those vendors are focused on closing out older items for which we have environmental clearance.
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