Story and photo by PCSD 32
PERRYVILLE — Safety Director/SRO Garrett Schott has received certification as a School Safety Specialist.
Officer Schott attended the recent School Safety Academy hosted by Missouri School Boards’ Association’s Center for Education Safety June 24-26, 2024, in Branson.
The School Safety Academy is designed to train and certify school safety coordinators in comprehensive school safety planning and development. School safety personnel from multiple school systems throughout the state attended the academy at no cost to local school districts.
“It’s essential that students, teachers and staff are in a safe learning environment,” Center for Education Safety’s Chief Operating Officer JohnMcDonald said. “Schools must have processes and protocols in place and have trained staff to respond accordingly to ensure our students can focus on learning,” he added.
Topics at the School Safety Academy included support systems for behaviors, legal aspects of school safety, trauma-informed schools and mental health resources, intervention and de-
escalation, emergency preparedness and plan building, behavioral risk and threat assessments, cyber security fundamentals, and more.
Assistant Superintendent Craig Hayden said that Officer Schott has led positive advancements in campus security and emergency planning since joining the district in March.
“Officer Schott has taken the lead in our emergency planning processes,” Mr. Hayden said. “We are grateful that he has brought more than 20 years of law enforcement and emergency services experience to District 32. He is working with SRO Teresa Worthington and the safety committee to review and update emergency procedures with a single focus: to ensure that our students and staff can learn and work in a safe and secure environment.”