Fargo Board of Education hears safety-committee report on bus tracking, drills and survey results

The Fargo Board of Education on May 21 received a detailed report from the district safety committee outlining new transportation safeguards, changes to emergency procedures and results from this year’s climate and culture survey.

Trish Miller, a member of the safety committee, told the board the group uses "a cultural prevention that protects youth and adults from natural hazards or human actions that may cause physical and or psychological harm or affect one's ability to function in school," and applies that definition when recommending district actions.

Why it matters: The committee’s recommendations affect everyday safety practices at all district schools and could change training and equipment budgets the board reviews later. Board members pressed for specifics on how procedures and tools will be rolled out and how the district will ensure consistent reporting across grade levels.

What the committee reported: Members said they have worked with Valley Bus to add badge readers and keypad sign-on options so drivers and office staff can more accurately log who boards and exits each bus. The committee highlighted the Here Comes the Bus app as a key tool for families to locate buses in real time and urged continued promotion of the app.

On drills and procedures, the safety committee proposed moving away from a brand-specific program (previously known in the district as ALICE) toward a district-owned standard response procedure. The aim is to broaden the focus from a narrow "threat" assessment to a fuller risk assessment that can capture other hazards and behavioral risks. The committee also recommended more scenario-based drills for building emergency teams and smaller, more portable office "go bags" that staff can carry during evacuations.

The committee flagged professional development priorities, including CPR, first aid and Stop the Bleed training for staff, and recommended a multi-year training cycle so staff receive needed refreshers without overloading the calendar.

Survey findings and behavior reporting: Committee members presented this year’s climate-and-culture survey results. The district narrowly missed a goal to raise students’ sense of belonging by 2% but reported steady levels on student-reported feelings of safety. The committee also said caregiver response rates to the survey declined to about half of last year’s levels (just under 500 responses districtwide), and urged school-level follow-ups to explore the open-ended feedback and top themes.

Board members raised several follow-ups during a question-and-answer session, asking why the district replaced the ALICE brand (committee members said licensing costs were a factor), whether phone limits reduced in-school social media conflicts (staff said school-day incidents have dropped), and how the district might restore or expand a quick tip or text line to resource officers (staff described email alternatives and efforts to integrate reporting into school platforms).

On behavioral data, the committee acknowledged gaps in how elementary and secondary schools document incidents and said the district will use its new Infinite Campus reporting features to standardize entries and improve transitions across grade levels.

What’s next: The board heard the report, asked staff to continue refining the standard response procedures and agreed to follow the committee’s recommendations for training and reporting. The committee said it will return with implementation updates in coming months.