CatholicEdChat is a twitter chat. Topics focus on discussions around educational issues for Catholic Educators and topics beneficial to Catholic Schools. We look forward to continuing to connect Catholic Educators online to discuss education and teaching with faith in our schools. The chat takes place on Saturday mornings. Time 9am EST.
Good morning friends! Jen (assist.principal Jesuit HS in Indianapolis) here for 15 minutes... I am taking a fitness class for all the good reasons but meets Saturdays at 9:30! #CatholicEdChat
First Question for today's discussion on Safety:
Q1: Did your school recognize or talk about the nationwide walkout in any way? If so, what did they choose to do, or not to do? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
A1: We had planned a prayer service but had a snow day on 3/14. I discussed it with my Theology class in light of our current topic, The Beatitudes. #CatholicEdchat
Adam, 5/6 social studies, Brooklyn, Ohio! Spending my morning helping with a breakfast at St. Patrick’s in Cleveland! I’ll be in and out! #catholicedchat
Good morning, @TBurnford and everyone else here at #CatholicEdChat! Justin McClain here, teacher in my twelfth year at @BMHSMustangs in Forestville, Maryland.
SMM junior high students pray a decade of the Roasry in the SMM Prayer Garden. A parent read names to honor those who died in Parkland. The gathering concluded by holding hands and praying the Our Father.
A1: We had all school mass & prayed for peace in our school & all schools during the mass. It was an already scheduled all school mass. #CatholicEdChat
Amazing policy based talks from Young Republicans, Young Democrats, BSU, and GSU today! Busy & blessed with @BrebeufJesuit students who are my generators of hope. #MarchForOurLives
I don't know anything about Catholic religion or the chat, however #CatholicEdChat I do know the next kids I have will be in private school during those elementary years, essential.
A1 a number of student groups organized ours with the helps of some administrators.
Protest, Reflection, Prayer, and Action (Continues with our next diversity dialogue). #catholicedchat
Good Morning, from NW Iowa, MS Social Studies/Religion.
We had a prayer service for peace and the victims to end the day, with a bell tolling 17 times and the school saying 17 Hail Mary's. #CatholicEdChat
A1: many of our schools chose to #Pray (in various ways) for 17 minutes, for the victims, families, and shooters. Pray to end such violence in our world & schools. Many engaged by activities by getting to know one another usinh various activities. #ADWTeach#CatholicEdChat
Hundreds of Carondelet students joined in solidarity with students from across the nation today to participate in the National School Walkout, honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, and calling for an end to gun violence.
A1) At @BMHSMustangs, there was a seventeen-minute walk-out onto the front lawn. It was an opportunity for prayer. The students planned, proposed, and implemented the initiative over a series of open meetings, and were successful at fostering community reflection. #CatholicEdChat
First Question for today's discussion on Safety:
Q1: Did your school recognize or talk about the nationwide walkout in any way? If so, what did they choose to do, or not to do? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
A1: We have Ss from 2 years to seniors at our school. We include lots of prayers for peace with our younger ones. Our US administrations as been doing a great job working directly with the Ss on how they can participate appropriately after Break. #CatholicEdChat
A1: I also told my students that I am personally participating in some events of prayer and peaceful protest as part of my Lenten practices. This seemed to be of great interest to them. #CatholicEdchat
A1 I should add... students have had dialogues with General Assembly representatives & advocate groups throughout the year. They are truly passionate about being men & women for/with others. Not just a one and done day #CatholicEdChat
we knew that we wanted more than just 17 minutes on the topic. we used the walkout day as a call to prayer and action - the actual action steps have included inviting legislators to the school to participate in a discussion with our students. that's next month. #catholicedchat
A2: Our High school is a series of buildings along one street. Students walk up and down the street all day long. Presents many unique safety challenges. 4 minutes (at a brisk pace) to walk the whole distance. #CatholicEdchat
A2: The one that concerns me most is that this subject is “too scary” for kids. The danger of doing and saying nothing is too great. I think it’s all in the approach. #CatholicEdChat
A2: that families don’t know what we (the school) would do in an emergency. We can’t say everything, but some don’t like the lack of communication. #catholicedchat
We are so privileged (really, blessed) to be able to cover such situations with a prayerful aspect in our Catholic schools. We can never take for granted the ability to pray openly in our faith-based schools. #CatholicEdChat
A1: many of our schools chose to #Pray (in various ways) for 17 minutes, for the victims, families, and shooters. Pray to end such violence in our world & schools. Many engaged by activities by getting to know one another usinh various activities. #ADWTeach#CatholicEdChat
A2 My 3rd graders and I had a very long discussion on the day before our Intruder drill which was March 1st. They had so many 'what ifs'. #CatholicEdchat
A2. Concerns about how easy our building is to access, about our preparation, about distance for law enforcement to our school, about comfort with guns in our very rural area. #CatholicEdChat
A2: Because I am a specialist in children with disabilities, I get many questions from Ss, Ps & Ts on what causes violence and who is at greater risk. #CatholicEdchat
we made a lot of changes security wise post sandyhook, including an SRO, single point of entry, enhanced alarms, and training, and "reach-out" initiatives for students not connecting. students have noticed #catholicedchat
A2 My students wanted to know if I will wear a gun! I told them no, but that I would do anything to keep them safe. I love them like their parents love them. #CatholicEdchat
I've heard parent's express that they don't know if their school has a proper safety plan in place - sometimes we forget to tell parents the good things we do. #catholicedchat
A2 My 3rd graders laughed as I pointed to our large crucifix on our wall and said, I would grab the crucifix and throw it at an intruder! #CatholicEdchat
our constituent surveys show that to be the case. we reached out to parent associations to review but it might become part of an information night in the fall. #catholicedchat
A2) At @BMHSMustangs, there had been questions about what plans to implement. Then, @mrscarterbmhs and other administrators provided the full community (first, faculty/staff, then students) with an extensive school safety presentation, giving us more confidence. #CatholicEdChat
A2 About 2 months ago, our pastor invited a local sheriff to do a walk through safety check on our campus. He made some small suggestions and we adjusted a few things. #CatholicEdCHat
Q3: What is your school doing in efforts to increase school safety as well as have your students feel safer in the school environment? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
our safety audit was pretty intensive. the walkthrough of scenarios (not just active shooter) showed the benefit of cool discussions and going over deficits and procedures before hand (how do we communicate with no power?). Good luck! #catholicedchat
A2, Our family has had conversations about safety at Sunday Mass. What to do and a family meeting point. It’s hard to imagine something happening during Mass, but it’s possible. #CatholicEdChat
we had an accidental trip of the intruder alarm one day. it was a good live test - so proud of teachers following the system, getting the kids behind doors, even in the open-concept information commons. practice helped so much #catholicedchat
A3: Our local PD has hired officers to work directly with schools and they plan on doing regular walk throughs. We have also revises all Crisis Manual and evaluated all drill procedures. #CatholicEdChat
Q3: We are reviewing our plans and had a student requested assembly run by local police dept. We are emphasizing that building community keeps people safe, and that there is a time when teens must involve an adult to help with certain problems. #CatholicEdchat
A2, Our family has had conversations about safety at Sunday Mass. What to do and a family meeting point. It’s hard to imagine something happening during Mass, but it’s possible. #CatholicEdChat
As an act of solidarity with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community, approximately 1,000 Loyola Academy students participated in the National School Walkout today at 10:00 a.m. Continue reading at https://t.co/1g2DXUHUmH.
#LeadersinAction#NeverAgain#NeverAgainAMDG
I'm not a fan of police anymore, due to treatment received, but if your law enforcement work well with your communities and schools, your areas will prosper. #CatholicEdChat
A3 ALICE training next week with local SRO. Staff, school board will attend. Walk through bldg with SRO to review access. Updating of crisis plans, reunification plans. Student drill after staff training. #CatholicEdChat
A3 We added a “roaming” prefect duty. Adult walks halls as intentional presence. Surprise joy is that adults are now visiting each other’s classrooms while roaming & reporting greater sense of connectedness with community. #silverlinings#catholicedchat
The PD advised a straight forward announcement. There is an intruder in the building at X location. We also set up a GroupMe for staff. #CatholicEdChat
In reply to
@BarbInNebraska, @jdferries, @mbdittrich
its also a good idea to make sure parents know how communication works in those (and other) scenarios. The fear of missing out is strong in our society, so if they know its coming by text, that can alleviate some of preventable anxiety #catholicedchat
In reply to
@TBurnford, @McClainJustin, @BMHSMustangs, @mrscarterbmhs, @NCEATALK
I am always telling my husband or kids what direction I will be running if something goes wrong. Especially when in a crowded venue. I normally try to park myself near an exit. Always know where the exit is located. #CatholicEdChat
we can overcut the alarm with instructions from the PA room or from certain admin cell phones. Zello is also a huge help for the first response team #catholicedchat
In reply to
@MicheleCMueller, @BarbInNebraska, @mbdittrich
Really sorry to be missing today’s chat but heading off to a job fair to recruit teachers for next year. I will definitelywant to read the archives on this chat. #catholicedchat
A3: I was teaching in a Catholic School near the Pentagon in 9-11. I use my experience to explain tonoarents and students why we cannot let Ps in the building during a lockdown. Hard to say but Pa must go to designated location not school. #CatholicEdchat
Q3: #catholicedchat We have a trained Resource Officer on site and we practice regular drills. The Resource Officer sends a report after each drill and explains in detail what we did well and if there any ways that we can improve next time. We also have surveillance cameras.
what-ifs are hard all around. In all the disaster planning, its hard to answer "this is what we do when this specific thing occurs" - better to have the resources in place to be flexible in the moment and the Now, 10 min, 1 hour, 5 hour, 1 day, 1 week guidelines #catholicedchat
We have security guards (unarmed) at the main entrance, high school building has security guards and SRO (2016 shooting occurred in high school building), classroom doors now lock from the inside.outside doors are locked during class time except main door. #CatholicEdChat
Q4: What types of resources do you use when speaking with students and parents following incidents of school violence/emergencies? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
A3.2: we also have periodic walkthroughs of the school by local police officers. Great to have local law enforcement connections and support. #catholicedchat
A3: I think schools should publish to parents in advance where your reunification point will be if you ever have to leave the building (fire, safety, etc.). Without this info, parents will instinctively rush to school. #CatholicEdChat
Effective communications uses multiple sources of information to reach all - social, text, web, email. Make sure parents know how to use and access info #catholicedchat
phones: a little tricky to setup but worth it. Zello is like the Nextel/walkie-talkie of apps. group and individual pushbutton chat w/o carrying another device #catholicedchat
In reply to
@MicheleCMueller, @BarbInNebraska, @mbdittrich
A4: The @archstl made and excellent video to use with parents and to train Ts and Ss. It is supposed to be used throughout the school year for drills. #CatholicEdChat
A4: of course @NCEATALK has great resources and communication to schools on best practices to communicate with families and students! Thank you! #catholicedchat
The "this worked and this is what we will work on next" is huge! that follow-up also gives some purpose to the drilling so that people know that we are working on making it better. #catholicedchat
We have walkie talkies for our admin and some lead teachers. I like the idea of a Group Me text group too. Communications is so important! All of us have a mobile phone. #CatholicEdChat
In reply to
@jdferries, @BarbInNebraska, @mbdittrich
Forgot to mention there is also an App called School Guard that schools can purchase. It allows for all school adult communication in small emergencies like an accident on the playground. But it all contacts emergency responders directly in big ER. #CatholicEdChat
We have lockdown drills with RCMP coming & we warn parents/students when it is happening due to the fact that so many have PTSD after 2016. Twice teachers accidentally called a lockdown instead of school safety team & significant trauma among students & staff #CatholicEdChat
This is good. Be sure to communicate that this happens to parents. You don't have to give them details, but let them know that you are working with safety experts and are using every drill as an opportunity for improvement. #CatholicEdChat
we also split the adult entrance and the student entrance for during-the-day and before school traffic. helps with quick sorting and the types of questions/checks that we need to do #catholicedchat
no what works and doesnt work if the power goes out. no good having a cell-based communications plan if half of your building is on powered cell boosters. #catholicedchat
In reply to
@MicheleCMueller, @BarbInNebraska, @mbdittrich
all the information is given to the teachers but might only be the leadership team that attends workshops. It probably varies from diocese to diocese. #CatholicEdChat
all the information is given to the teachers but might only be the leadership team that attends workshops. It probably varies from diocese to diocese. #CatholicEdChat
also varies state-to-state. The designated safety officer for a school is expected to attend the conference in Indiana and our planning and systems are based of the updates given through that training. #catholicedchat
Sharing the tips and pitfalls of any safety plan are so important. Some plans are campus sensitive, but we all need to share what works and what doesn’t. #CatholicEdChat
Q5: Because Catholic schools are integral members of every community, are local government agencies informed of your safety rules and precautions at the school? AND, do they reach out to you to help, or do you have to go to them? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
Interesting and is the religious side a focus in any part of the learning for Catholic learning, uniforms a requirement or just depends on the sch? #CatholicEdChat
YES!!! This is very important. It is also crucial to let parents know not to rush to the school which can block emergency responders access. We had students who’d been shot running to the hospital because the streets were clogged by parents. #catholicedchat
our SRO is part of city police, so we have pretty strong coordination. we work with most emergency response in terms of what they want access to pre- and during emergency (camera feeds, etc.). I'm sure it varies based on locale though. #catholicedchat
Yes, we teach the Catholic religion to all students who attend our school. I believe all schools have uniforms or a specific dress code. #CatholicEdChat
A5: what worries me is Catholic schools being forgotten/overlooked by state/local government re safety planning and funding; NCEA sees this at federal level and fights hard to get us included in funding for (e.g.) disaster relief and school safety legislation etc. #catholicedchat
A3: Renewing efforts to wear ID badges, creating our own safety video, inviting police dept. to conduct training on our campus during spring break. #catholicedchat
my guess is that the stronger the state influence on private education, the more a private school is treated like a school in the system. -- it has its blessing and curses #catholicedchat
A5 we use the ALICE model, and have an assigned police officer from our city's department to help and teach us. we also have a police officer in the building every day. #CatholicEdChat
A5 @the_Madeleine partners with fire department each year to evaluate safety. The Police respond quickly to our alerts and we engage local security for daily monitoring of those entering our campus #CatholicEdChat
Q6: Does your school encourage students to speak up if they have concerns about classmates/safety/violence, and is there a system in place for them to do so, e.g. hotlines, etc.? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
#CatholicEdChat A6| Communities that attempt to silence ANY truth, have deep rooted core issues that cannot be fixed overnight, the longer they fester, the worse they become.
Q6: Does your school encourage students to speak up if they have concerns about classmates/safety/violence, and is there a system in place for them to do so, e.g. hotlines, etc.? #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
A6 #catholicedchat We have a school counselor and students know that they can report any concerns to any teacher or administrator and the matter will be addressed.
A6 Care of the Person might be one of our strongest charisms. We do a school-wide check of students to make sure there are connections w/ adults, we create multiple avenues for students to report concerns of others, and we are active with the kids on social media #catholicedchat
A5. We are not forgotten. Our SRO has his own kids in a private Christian school. However, no money has funneled our way for school safety. #CatholicEdChat
A6: I do and I know other teachers do as well. It’s a difficult challenge due to the no snitch culture. It’s not tattling it’s showing concern and care. #catholicedchat
Thanks Barb - please know that (for example) NCEA dues from schools pay for Sr. Dale McDonald et al to go to Capitol Hill and Dept Education to ensure we are included in legislation to help all students - remember, Catholic schools educate the PUBLIC! #CatholicEdChat@NCEATALK
so school safety is an entirely different budget on the school level or on the state level, curious how the money goes to schools? I'm sure different on the private sch level versus the public sector. #CatholicEdChat
A6: We have constant conversations about speaking up, as school safety including bullying, students at-risk for self harm, students living in difficult situations, etc. We try to have at least one adult know each student very well & greet them personally each day. #CatholicEdchat
We encourage students to speak up, tips have been called in to school & RCMP, staff have had basic VTRA (Violent Threat Risk Assessment) training & principal has had intense training #CatholicEdChat
I always tell kids there is a difference between telling and tattling. Tattling is to get someone in trouble. Tellling is to get someone help. #CatholicEdChat
A6. @the_Madeleine by implementing caring classroom curriculum we model how Ss can advocate for themselves and eachother. Very important. #CatholicEdChat
we knew we were on to something when we started getting txt/tweets from students asking if any adults were monitoring a feed that showed a particular student was in crisis. we cant be perfect, but we can create an environment that helps reduce risk #catholicedchat
I always tell kids there is a difference between telling and tattling. Tattling is to get someone in trouble. Tellling is to get someone help. #CatholicEdChat
we have also been running a teacher/student social media campaign against the walk-up-not-out hastag. :) -- important for our students to know that you can do both, be a voice for social change and a caring person to those in need #catholicedchat
A6: I feel We also helpnour parents feel comfortable speaking up if they have a concern about any child, but particularly their own student. We do a lot of educating on depression, anxiety, substance abuse, social media use, etc. #CatholicEdchat
that was a lot of the motivation behind our original social media policy changes. we wanted to both be able to model and be present for the students where they were gathered. its shaped a lot of our mindset #catholicedchat
Before departing, I wanted to share with you all at #CatholicEdChat that I devoted my weekly piece at the @NCRegister the other week to how we as a society can elevate the conversation to fostering a greater respect for all human life, across the spectrum. https://t.co/LW78YvkNqm
