Lansing schools roll out child ID kits, window-security film and stop-the-bleed kits; training planned

The Lansing Public School District on Jan. 9 received an update on several school-safety measures the district says aim to improve student identification, delay intruders and equip classrooms to respond to severe bleeding.

Sue, from the district’s Department of Health and Wellness, reported COVID case counts and introduced the safety briefing before turning the presentation to Dale Person, the district’s director of public safety. Person described four initiatives: child “safe kits” distributed to families, installation of 3M protective window film at schools, reestablishing the Ok to Say tip line (run by MSP), and placement of stop-the-bleed kits in every classroom funded through a community grant.

Why it matters: District officials said the measures are intended to buy time for emergency response, ensure families can provide prompt identification to law enforcement if a child goes missing, and give staff immediate tools to control serious bleeding.

What presenters told the board

Sue said the district continues mitigation work in response to winter respiratory illnesses and noted recent construction of a greenhouse at the Don Johnson Field House through a partnership with the Northwest Initiative and grant funding from GROW Lansing. She then yielded to Person for the safety initiatives.

Person described the child safe kits — packets meant for parents that include an identification card, fingerprint impressions and photos — and said American Life Insurance distributed “about 6,000 packets” to district elementary schools. “For the parents to have… typically, it’s a card that gives information regards to your personal information, fingerprints, pictures,” Person said, adding that completed packets returned to schools generated small donations from the insurer tied to a school-level contest.

On window security, Person said a protective 3M film has been installed at several schools and acts as a deterrent by slowing intruders and providing response time for emergency services. He named Cumberland, Forest View and Pleasant View as recently treated sites.

Person also said the district reestablished its relationship with Ok to Say, a tip-reporting system run by the Michigan State Police that now includes QR-code access for students and community members. A board member asked for usage data; Person said the district does not have that information in hand but will provide it to the board.

Finally, Person said local partners including the Charlotte Police Department and the Tri-County AVI team secured roughly $720,000 in community funding in fiscal 2024 to buy stop-the-bleed kits, and the district has placed a kit in every classroom. “So every classroom here within our school district actually has a stop the bleed kit,” Person said. He added staff are planning training on those kits: district staff told the board they are scheduling an overview for Jan. 31 and more hands-on sessions in February.

Board follow-up and clarifications

Board members asked whether the child safe kits include fingerprint supplies (Person said the kits include an ink strip and space on the card for fingerprints) and whether stop-the-bleed kits require additional staff training (staff confirmed training has not yet occurred and is being scheduled). A trustee also raised allergies as a concern; staff said the district’s blue emergency bags include lists of medical conditions for students assigned to each room and that many stop-the-bleed items (for example, tourniquets) are not allergy-sensitive.

What the presentation did not include

Person promised to provide Ok to Say usage statistics but did not provide them at the meeting. No formal board action was taken; the presentation was informational and staff were asked to return with the requested data and training details.

Details and figures mentioned in the meeting

- American Life Insurance distributed roughly 6,000 child safe kit packets to elementary schools. - Stop-the-bleed kits for every classroom were purchased with approximately $720,000 in community funds (Fiscal Year 2024) secured by local partners. - Protective 3M film was recently installed at Cumberland, Forest View and Pleasant View. - Training for stop-the-bleed kits is scheduled for an overview on Jan. 31 with additional hands-on sessions planned in February.

Provenance: First presentation remarks and Q&A appear in the board transcript beginning with the Department of Health and Wellness presentation and Dale Person’s remarks; staff later confirmed training scheduling and offered to provide Ok to Say usage data.