District presents safety plan and literacy monitoring reports; board accepts annual safety presentation
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Summary
The board accepted the districtwide safety plan and received progress monitoring reports on literacy and superintendent guardrail #4; staff described drills cadence, threat assessment teams, translated training and the planned use of civic funds for guaranteed field experiences.
The Phoenix Elementary School District governing board accepted the districtwide safety plan and approved progress-monitoring reports for board literacy goals and superintendent guardrail number 4.
Dirk Olmstead, director of plant services, presented a broad overview of the district's exterior, interior and personal safety features. He described perimeter fencing, controlled access points, high-definition parking-lot surveillance, a district-wide outdoor alert system, secure lobbies and interior classroom locks. On drills and training, Olmstead said, "Fire drills are done monthly, lockdown drills are done quarterly, and bus evacuation drills are done annually." He also described the district's tiered emergency operation plan (committees, risk assessment, tiered responses, staff training and audits).
Nicole Baker, the district's executive director of communications, explained how parents are notified during incidents and the typical barriers to immediate release of details: "...we work with the principal, and whatever law enforcement agency is involved to see what we can release," she said, adding the district uses robocalls, text messages, emails and ClassDojo depending on the event.
Board members asked about translation of training materials and parent notification timelines; staff confirmed required trainings are available in Spanish and that the district maintains a translator to support monolingual staff. The board voted to accept the safety presentation.
Separately, curriculum and instruction staff presented interim literacy measures for third- and eighth-grade goals and a progress update on the district's implementation of Structured English Immersion strategies. Staff reported observation-cycle gains (for example, teachers using targeted SAI strategies rose in several cycles), and discussed targeted supports for focus schools (Bethune and Edison). The board also reviewed a plan to return 25% of earned civic funds to schools on a sliding scale (as of Dec. 1 civic funds were reported at $351,915, with an average per-school allocation estimated at roughly $7,998 based on current earnings and priority levels).
The board accepted these reports by voice vote. Staff said updates to safety plans and monitoring materials will be provided to the board throughout the year as new information becomes available.