Next week is America Safe Schools Week. As such, it’s not lost on Murray City School District that we must protect students. You should know that we actively implement and develop a wide range of safety measures that are both preventative and reactive. Some of these are unique to Murray, and others are mandated by Utah and federal laws.
The fact is, we don’t always know when a safety concern may arise. But we can learn from other districts and schools and routinely train, prepare for, and respond to them with good policy and best practices.
You are one of our most powerful tools for keeping our kids safe.
Some of this involves our community. We repeat it often but ask that parents, students, and others with connections to our schools and families feel encouraged to say something if they see something. Murray is particularly tight-knit, and our relative size (compared to other districts) gives us an advantage.
However, here are five key ways we seek to keep students and educators safe:
Security Measures
Our schools have specific action plans for monitoring, reacting to, and resolving issues. Some of these are physical deterrents and services we have invested in through State and federal funding, while others have to do with training, protocols, and measures we conduct for different situations.
Emergency Preparedness
Emergency PreparednessSimilarly, Murray schools regularly conduct drills for emergencies such as threats; natural disasters; and other incidents, such as spills, fires, and other disruptions. These drills follow specific protocols and you can read more about them here as this year we rolled out the Standard Response Protocol that specifically addresses these.
Mental Health Resources
Some students are vulnerable to various mental health issues, including stress, anxiety, depression, and more. We recently held a Mental Wellness Night to help students and their families manage these. Moreover, we have social workers, psychologists, and many resources we can refer families to or deploy as needed.
Anti-Bullying Policies
Like all schools and districts in Utah, Murray has strict and specific anti-bullying measures and protocols we take to protect kids from the behaviors of their peers. You should know that when they are reported, we do address them. We cannot legally share many details because we are dealing with the privacy of families and individual students. However, we follow policy, procedure, and protocol for all reported incidents. These measures have been effective in promoting safe and respectful learning environments.
Health and Wellness Programs
Finally, Murray schools promote health and wellness efforts that span a comprehensive spectrum. This includes nutritious meals that follow USDA Nutrition Standards. Safe and clean facilities and transportation that are functional and code compliant, thanks to the dedicated service of our facility team members. And, a health and wellness curriculum that includes mind-stimulating movement, breaks, and exercises that promote vitality and activities that facilitate personal growth, friendships, and social and emotional learning.
Murray is not perfect. We pay attention and listen to learn new, better ways to protect our students and educators. You should know we aim for daily improvement, and when we fall short, we keep doing our best because our students matter to you and us.
If you have questions or concerns in any of these five areas, please contact your teacher(s) or administrators. Working together, we are Murray!
