Cleveland ISD (TX)

District Overview
Schools: 6
Students: 3,886

Cleveland Independent School District (ISD) in Cleveland, TX, knew they needed to act.

Student bullying and violence were rampant, but the district’s response system was outdated. It offered no training for staff and students about responding to threats. And whenever an incident occurred, staff had to handwrite a report, then submit it to the appropriate administrator. Predictably, mistakes were made. Critical information was not included in reports (resulting in long, often unproductive investigations), and papers got lost in the shuffle.

To create a safer environment for their students, Cleveland ISD began researching potential solutions.

THE EMPLOYEESAFE SUITE AND SBVPP

After extensive research, Assistant Superintendent of Special Programs at Cleveland ISD, Karin Miller, chose PublicSchoolWORKS to improve district safety. At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, the district implemented PublicSchoolWORKS’ EmployeeSafe Suite and the Student Bullying and Violence Prevention Program (SBVPP).

“With PublicSchoolWORKS, staff members are now trained on key safety topics such as bullying, suicide prevention, and depression in students,” says Miller. “Students and parents can confidentially report incidents, automatically notifying administrators to ensure a swift response.”

HOW IT WORKS

The EmployeeSafe Suite and the SBVPP maximize efficiency and safety by streamlining the following administrative tasks:

• Staff Safety Training – The “set it and forget it” online training system emails each staff member with a link to their list of online safety courses. If their training isn’t completed in a timely manner, the system notifies supervisors to ensure compliance.
• Student Training – Online courses give students access to information about bullying, including how to report a bullying incident.
• Anonymous Reporting – With the SBVPP, students can confidentially report an incident.
• Parent InfoCenter – Through this award-winning online portal, parents can receive the same safety training offered to staff.
• 24-Hour Emergency Hotline -This 24/7 hotline allows students to speak with live counselors about any safety issue, including bullying, depression, or suicide.

BETTER SAFETY EQUALS BETTER EDUCATION

After a year with PublicSchoolWORKS, Karin Miller and Cleveland ISD have been able to breathe a lot easier. Because of the EmployeeSafe Suite’s comprehensive training, the SBVPP’s easy way of reporting incidents, and the 24-Hour Emergency Hotline, staff can now comfortably focus on helping their young students to thrive.