On Tuesday, Jan. 21, Gorham High School Administration and many members of the Gorham Police Department held an in depth discussion with interested parents and community members about school safety. The collaborative presentation reviewed prevention, monitoring, and response planning and protocols that are in place for Gorham High School, and included what parents can do to help keep our schools safe.
Presenters noted that as school shootings have tragically become commonplace, research and best practices have evolved on best ways to prevent and respond to issues of school violence. Extensive training has been received by both school staff and law enforcement that informs the school safety plan.
Recognizing that preventing acts of violence is always best, Principal Jandreau and Assistant Principal Marc Sawyer discussed the investment the school has made in developing a culture of safety and trust amongst staff and students, saying, “The development of relationships is important to ensure students feel connected to and responsible for the positive and healthy school culture.”
The focus of ensuring that students have a trusted adult in the building to whom they can speak has proven invaluable. All of the reports concerning comments, social media posts or behaviors that have been investigated by the school over the past year have been because a student raised concern. Presenters reiterated that the message is clear that reporting is not about getting a person in trouble, it’s about getting them help; if they see something, say something.
Should the school determine there is a concern about a student’s actions, behaviors or words, a risk assessment protocol is followed; the assessment flow chart was shared during the presentation. Based on the assessment results, the school works with family members and outside agencies to get the help needed for students while ensuring the safety of all. One parent noted the difficulty in finding mental health services for youth, and Principal Jandreau acknowledged it has been difficult to always get students help. He noted that issues such as school violence negatively impact the mental health and wellbeing of all our youth, and yet the resources are scarce. Much is falling on the school’s counseling and social work staff.
Principal Jandreau and Assistant Principal Sawyer explained that having conversations with kids, as parents and school staff, can help address some of those stressors or need for support. It is also a great first line for detecting concerns. They also shared that the school district utilizes a software called Securely, which monitors online language for concerning words or phrases that might suggest harm to self or harm to others, or that a student is in need of mental health support or is in crisis. Parents can also receive email updates and have access to this information for their students thru the Securly app. They can contact their building administrators for more information if needed.
Parent engagement in monitoring their child’s online presence was a key message of Detective Sergeant Steven Rappold, a self-described “nerd” and the cyber expert for the Gorham Police Department. Rappold outlined the process by which online threats are investigated, and the possible repercussions students face if they make them. To underscore why online comments are taken so seriously, he shared a deeply impactful video of comedians seemingly performing, making statements that were being passed off as funny. It was later revealed that they were quoting statements made by school shooters before committing their heinous crime, comments that weren’t taken seriously. The Detective Sergeant reiterated, “Gorham Police Department will take these threats seriously, until we can know that they aren’t.”
Rappold shared four smartphone device monitoring apps he recommends to parents. They include Apple Screen Time, Google Family Link; Bark and Qustodio, and a website called NetSmartz that includes developmentally appropriate content for teaching and talking to youth about online safety.
Presenters acknowledged that while prevention is the goal, they are ready if something bad does happen at GHS.
Deputy Chief Michael Nault detailed the collaborative relationship between the two departments as critical for the prevention and response planning and explained that each cruiser is equipped with school specific kits that contain maps and floorplans, keys, and detailed emergency response plans in the event of an emergency. The school and police department share communications tools to ensure that emergencies are rapidly addressed. This includes radios, an emergency notification system that is on every school staff and police officer’s laptop computer, and a camera system.
They have also trained together, and Nault noted that Gorham Police Dept. actively trains with other agencies in Cumberland County. He was clear that the response plan of Gorham PD is to address any threats immediately, unlike the tragic response in Uvalde, TX.
Students and school staff are also trained to use the A.L.I.C.E. method of responding, which stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate. This response protocol uses clear and direct language to communicate where and what threat exists and gives agency to those in the crisis to make decisions based on the information provided. Based on research, no longer is the guidance to lock the door and huddle in the corner of a room.
Information about the presentation was shared on Jan. 5 via an email from Principal Brian Jandreau. It was also on the school’s website, communications app, social media sites and on the Gorham ME Scoop Facebook page, and a reminder email was sent Tuesday morning. Still, only 7 parents were in attendance to hear the information. Those present praised Principal Jandreau for his communications related to possible school safety issues, and the audience thanked all of the presenters for an insightful presentation.
“You send your kids to us every day, you are entrusting us with their safety and wellbeing, and we wanted to assure you that we take that responsibility very, very seriously,” said Principal Jandreau.