MUKILTEO SCHOOLS Safety: Our students’ success depends on it

Ayear ago, I shared the following at the outset of my monthly school board message focused on School Resource Officers (SROs): “To ensure a welcoming and safe learning and work environment is foundational and at the heart of the Mukilteo School District’s goals. The school board is committed to this very important goal and will lean on our roles as elected leaders to ensure accountability for its accomplishment.”

Mukilteo Schools

by MICHAEL SIMMONS mukilteo public schools, president

That statement and commitment is still very true today. The primary responsibility for maintaining a positive and supportive school climate resides with school leadership, including maintaining order and all student discipline matters. Our ongoing effort to engage, maintain an open dialogue, and share productive information with students, parents and community members has only been enhanced.

One way we’ve broadened our safety communication is through a safety presentation series for families. The first session, which started just before the pandemic, was about gun safety. The safety series paused during the most challenging parts of the pandemic but has since returned!

In January of this year, staff shared about school safety and school and district responses to threats, harassment, intimidation, and bullying via Zoom, which was well-attended, recorded and shared with families after the event for post-viewing. It is available on the Mukilteo School District YouTube channel (https://youtu.be/9NYHUPuEBYk).

As part of that ongoing family safety series, this Monday, the district offered a webinar about social media and online safety. Robert Hackenson, Jr. from Dynamic Influence shared strategies for keeping students safe while interacting online including topics such as screentime and social media’s effects on mental health, online bullying and negative interactions, sexting, and other potential dangers of interacting online. He also offered strategies and resources for helping keep online and social media interactions as healthy parts of growing up and social- see SIMMONS page 9 u