SAFETY is a big concern at all Tulsa Public Schools
Will your children be safe as they head to school this week? School officials are working to answer that question as completely as possible. <br><br>KOTV’s Tami Marler says schools are taking safety
Tuesday, August 14th 2001, 12:00 am
By: News On 6
Will your children be safe as they head to school this week? School officials are working to answer that question as completely as possible.
KOTV’s Tami Marler says schools are taking safety more seriously every year. When a gunman opened fire at a Tulsa fast-food restaurant full of students back in 1994, all Tulsa Public School officials could do was react. Of the six people injured, four were students. All of them recovered; but there are no more lunches away from school.
That was the day Don Myers said Tulsa Public Schools changed forever. Now there are metal detectors in every middle and high school and a number of other measures to keep our children safe. "We have a few more cameras added to our middle and high schools. ID cards I think we're going to see more. The staff I think will be required at all times." Myers has been Tulsa Public Schools Safety Director for ten years. He says IDs are already required at the Education Service Center. Now the district is urging Tulsa principals to make them routine for all teachers, substitutes, maintenance and support staff. "I think it's just identifiable - to make sure we don't have intruders who don't belong in the school."
Another deterrent for unwanted intruders, security guards. These guards just finished a day of training required by Tulsa Public Schools. They patrol every Tulsa Public School, handling everything from traffic tie-ups, to student scuffles and any issue school officials can foresee. The incidents they can't predict become part of tomorrow's rules and preparations.
Many problems at school are ‘student-to-student.’ That's why the state now has a 24-hour safety hotline.1-877-SAFE-CALL extension OK1. Anyone who feels threatened or concerned about school safety should call the number. Operators take anonymous calls 24 hours a day.
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