Safety and Security Update Sunday, July 29, 2018

Thank you to all of the parents and community members who have shared feedback regarding the proposed safety, security and mental health levy request presented at the board meeting last Monday. We are listening, and we value the feedback you have given us. As Superintendent, a resident of the Sylvania community, and most importantly a Dad of children attending three of our Sylvania Schools, I am a strong proponent of continuous improvement to our schools’ safety, security and mental health needs. Finding the most efficient and effective solutions to address these needs while ensuring the safety of our schools and our students is a top priority. One of my responsibilities is to make recommendations to the Board that I believe to be in the best interest of our district. At this time, it is my intention to recommend that the Board approve a resolution to place a safety and security levy on the ballot in November.

In order to address many of the questions and concerns shared since Monday’s meeting, and to provide additional time to hear feedback, there will be a Safety and Security Forum, open to the public, this Wednesday, August 1st at 6:00 p.m. at Southview High School. To keep the forum as informative as possible, we will answer any questions and address any concerns submitted to communications@sylvaniaschools.org before 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, July 31st. Having questions ahead of time allows us the opportunity to fully address specific areas of concern without needing to set aside those questions requiring additional research. The district will also be developing an FAQ sheet to help support and answer questions that will be released on Wednesday.

A special meeting of the Board of Education will be held Thursday, August 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at The Bradley J. Rieger Administrative Office Building at 4747 N. Holland Sylvania to consider a proposed resolution defining details of a special safety and security levy and its placement on the November ballot for a public vote. It is important to the administration and the Board that the community understand what is being considered, why the items are being recommended now, and how the students and community will benefit from the plan.

Current proposed safety & security plan:

Increase visible law enforcement in our schools by hiring additional school resource officers
Identify and address the mental health needs of our students in a hands-on way by adding mental health counselors at the elementary, junior high and high school level
Increase security visibility with new and up to date digital internal and external cameras to monitor hallways, classrooms, parking lots, outdoor spectator areas and more
Install an electronic school visitor identity system for check in and out of our schools
Implement a new, secure communications network through an updated phone system allowing for direct access to police with increased reliability and digital emergency messaging

Thank you for your continued support and interest in keeping Sylvania Schools a highly regarded district that achieves high academic standards in a safe learning environment.

Dr. Adam Fineske
Sylvania Schools Superintendent