Greetings Thompson School District Community,
Our new school year is off to a terrific start. It was so nice to see students and staff return to the classrooms after a productive summer full of bond work and educational activities. As we head into the fall season, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some new safety and security resources that have been implemented in the Thompson School District.
Let me begin by assuring you that safety and security is and will always be a top priority of the Thompson School District. Over the summer months, the Thompson School District Safety and Security team worked hard to further the capabilities and capacities of district personnel. Through all of that hard work, a new security patrol position was formed.
The new security team members completed a 100-hour intensive safety academy that empowers them to respond to a wide variety of situations across the district. In addition, these staff members have been specifically tasked with providing general security support to all of the elementary schools and after-school activities in the district. We are very excited for this position as we constantly strive to serve our students and district community.
As in every other district, the world of safety and security in TSD is fluid in nature. Districts must always maintain and balance resources and responsibilities as they relate to incident response in order to ensure students and staff are safe. Thompson School District is constantly working with our School Resource Officer unit from both the Loveland Police Department and the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office to ensure our response protocols are always in compliance and in line with best practices.
Through these conversations, two things were identified as needs for the district moving forward. The first was a School Resource Officer who was specifically identified to work with the elementary schools in the district. The second need was a mental health professional who could respond to mental health crises as they arise in the district.
Through conversations, our community partners from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and Summitstone Mental Health rose to the challenge, and the “Youth Crisis Response Unit” was born as a result. This unit will encompass both a deputy from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and a co-responder from Summitstone Mental Health Partners. The unit will increase the physical and emotional safety of all students in Thompson School District, as it is gaining recognition locally, regionally, and nationally.
It truly is a model of increasing the district’s ability to respond to incidents and emergencies while also providing an increased focus on prevention and wrap-around support for students. Please feel free to greet these individuals should you see them in our community.
We are excited to bring these new security measures to our school district as we continue to focus on school safety. Should you have any questions about these new resources, please feel free to contact the Safety and Security Department at (970) 613-5010.
Sincerely,
Dr. Marc Schaffer
Superintendent
Thompson School District