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Salem-Keizer lead school psychologist outlines four safety systems, urges use of Safe Oregon
Summary
Courtney McCarthy, lead school psychologist for Salem-Keizer SD 24J, described four district safety and support response systems — suicide prevention, student threat assessment, an incident response committee and a fire behavior system — and urged reporting through school staff, law enforcement or Safe Oregon.
Courtney McCarthy, the lead school psychologist for Salem-Keizer SD 24J, told listeners the district operates four safety and support response systems designed to prevent serious safety problems in schools and the surrounding community. “So we have 4 safety and support response systems,” she said, noting each aims to both assess risk and connect students to supports.
McCarthy said the first system — the suicide prevention system — is focused on identifying students at risk of self-harm and making sure they receive supports. “It is a system designed to prevent suicide, by assessing concerns for suicide and then getting supports in place for students that need them,” she said.
She described the student threat assessment system as the district’s second line of defense against violence. “Our student threat assessment system, which is designed to prevent acts of aggression or violence in our schools and community,” McCarthy said, explaining the process is to assess concerns, put safety measures in place and provide supportive services to students who need them.
The third system McCarthy named is an incident response committee intended to address and prevent problematic behavior in schools and the community. She also identified a fire behavior system as a fourth program aimed at preventing problematic fire setting.
McCarthy said the district partners with outside agencies when concerns reach a significant level, listing community mental health providers, law enforcement, juvenile justice, local community colleges with high-school partnerships and Liberty House as examples of partners that help provide services.
She encouraged community members and school staff to report safety concerns to school administrators or law enforcement and noted an anonymous reporting option: Safe Oregon. “If people need a more anonymous way to report concerns, Safe Oregon is a great way to report concerns about safety issues,” McCarthy said.
The presentation outlined the district’s prevention-focused approach but did not include details on program budgets, timelines, or referral thresholds; those items were not specified in the remarks.
