Cedar Rapids district outlines safety priorities, pilots cell‑phone limits and rolls out CrisisGo

Officials from the Cedar Rapids Community School District said the top safety priorities for 2025 are clear, district‑wide emergency protocols, staff training, and reducing physical aggression in schools.

In a district podcast interview, Janessa Carr, Safe and Secure Learning Environment Administrator, said, "The biggest part is making sure that our—how we respond to emergencies, there's proper protocols in place," and emphasized that standardizing those protocols across more than 30 buildings is foundational to safety and learning.

Why it matters: Carr and Ryals Parker, Executive Director of Behavior Supports, said safety affects students' ability to learn and staff capacity to teach. "When safety is this big of a concern for people, we know that kids are not learning at super high levels," Carr said. Parker added that reducing behavioral incidents gets students into class and improves access to instruction.

Most important facts

- Emergency protocols and training: Carr said the district's immediate priority is a consistent set of emergency procedures communicated to staff and families. She said staff and students must be trained on each protocol so responses are consistent across buildings.

- Rising physical aggression: Parker said the district has "seen an…