Safety at School

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From:Beth Schilling [beths3588@comcast.net]Sent:Monday, November 23, 2009 7:07 PMSubject:FW: Safety at SchoolDear parents: please read the e-mail I received from Terri Weaver, CHS securityofficer,regarding the Olympia City Councils proposal to eliminate the School Resource

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Officersstationed at both Olympia High School and Capital High School. If you haveconcerns, pleasecontact your City Council rep and let them know your views.Thanks,Beth SchillingCHSPO Co-ChairFriends:As you know, I work at Capital High School as the security officer. In thiscapacity, Iwork side-by-side daily with the police officers assigned to the schools. Atpresent, wehave two of these officers in the Olympia School District. One is assigned toCapitalHigh School and the other is at Olympia High School. They are also on call to theotherschools in the district.The City Council is currently considering cutting the School Resource Officer(SRO)program to balance the budget for 2010. If made, this cut will end the SROprogram asof December 31, 2009. This change will have disastrous effects on the safety andsecurity in the schools. Personally, I probably wont continue to work at CHS

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after thecurrent school year if this change is made. I believe the environment will becometoodangerous to justify working for the small wage I receive.Please read the letter Ive written and forward it to everybody you know and to

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theCity Council-Ive included contact information at the bottom of this e-mail. This

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willonly take a few minutes of your time and may help provide safety to all of ourchildrenat school. Feel free to change the letter or add your own personal concerns. Ifpossiblesend it by e-mail and snail mail. I hope to flood the Councils mailboxes and get

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theirattention. Dear City Council: As a parent in the Olympia School district, Id like to express my concern over

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thepotential budget cuts which would remove police officers from our schools. TheSchoolResource Officers (SROs) are a valuable asset to our community and provide safetytoall of our students. Students spend most of their waking hours at school and I

feelreassured sending my child there when I know a police officer is on campus daily.Im

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concerned about the potential increase in criminal activity on and around theschools ifthese officers are removed. The SROs perform multiple duties including:Coordinate communication between schools and other agencies such as CPS andCourts.Investigate child abuse and domestic violence involving students.Remove children from potentially dangerous home situations.Give a personal face to law enforcement for our children.Prevent and deter traffic infractions on or near schools.Prevent and investigate criminal activity such as theft and sexual assault.Keep unwanted visitors away from schools.Deter drug use and trafficking.Educate students about laws relating to driving, drugs/alcohol, crime, and childabuse.Recognize and prevent gang activity at school.Deter fighting and assaults on campuses.Prevent the presence of weapons such as guns and knives.Reduce truancy.Arrest students who have warrants.Assist in finding runaways.Provide a timely resolution to threats or criminal activity.Prevent assaults on teachers and other school district staff.Are available in the event of an emergency such as fire, earthquake, or schoolshooting. In these tough times, difficult decisions must be made to balance budgets.Sacrificingthe safety and well-being of the children in our community would not be a prudentchoice. Our students deserve a safe environment in which to grow and learn.Pleaseconsider this when making budget cuts in the next few weeks. Sincerely, a concerned parent How to Contact the Olympia City Council in WritingPostal Mail:Olympia City CouncilPO Box 1967Olympia, WA 98507-1967Email:Councilmembers have individual email addresses. You will find the email addressesonCouncilmembers' individual biography pages.Another option for email contact is to send a single email to all Councilmembersat thefollowing address: citycouncil@ci.olympia.wa.us. Your email sent to thecitycounciladdress will be forwarded to Councilmembers by the Council's secretary duringnormalworking hours.Please note: All written correspondence to the Olympia City Council, includingemail, is a public record, potentially eligible for release upon request.

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