HOLLAND — A district mother or father is seeking to assist Holland Public Schools be part of a gun security training program.
Carolyn Buck offered Monday, Feb. 12, on “Be SMART,” which inspires training on secure gun storage. Buck organized a pair of Wear Orange occasions in opposition to gun violence in Holland in June 2022 and 2023.
Be SMART — (Secure, Model, Ask, Recognize and Tell) — is a nonprofit launched in 2015 looking for to teach mother and father and youngsters on secure gun storage and possession. Buck assured the board it’s not an advocacy organization, however “an educational program.”
Buck mentioned Be SMART is a “really proactive opportunity” for colleges to tell households. Steps for involvement embody acknowledging weapons are a danger to the well being and well-being of scholars, passing a decision to “commit to equipping and educating” households about secure storage, and creating a communication plan.
Several districts throughout the state have already handed resolutions, Buck mentioned, and he or she’s been in comparable conversations with different native colleges. No districts in Ottawa County had taken motion as of Monday.
“Personally, I don’t see any harm in a resolution that’s coming from us,” Superintendent Nick Cassidy mentioned. “We have an obligation here to try to do anything proactive to talk to our parents about reducing the risk of kids bringing something to school.”
HPS Director of School Safety and Security Joe Soto mentioned this system isn’t for or in opposition to gun possession.
“If you’ve gotten it, right here’s a great way to retailer it and hold it secure,” Soto mentioned.
Later within the assembly, Cassidy informed board members he would deliver a pattern decision to the subsequent examine session assembly in March for dialogue.
During the identical assembly, speech pathologist Corene D’Addona shared a plan to deliver a help canine to West Elementary.
D’Addona has labored with instructor Patricia Ferguson, principal Chad Tolson and center faculty instructor Kristin Constantino, who led an effort to deliver a help canine to Holland Middle School. The canine would come from Paws with a Cause, the identical organization Constantino labored with.
D’Addona mentioned the canine would help with the varsity’s seven Autism Spectrum Disorder lessons, the building’s refugee inhabitants and the final pupil physique.
“We have a lot of students who would benefit from it,” D’Addona mentioned.
The cost has risen from $6,000 for Constantino to a present cost of $10,000, D’Addona mentioned, including she’s “in the process” of connecting with potential donors and grant organizations.
The canine would reside with D’Addona, and 4 further employees members could be skilled as handlers by Paws with a Cause.
Cassidy mentioned the board doesn’t have to vote on the addition of a building canine, however there’s district coverage to think about.
“There’s a process to go through, making sure every kid’s notified in the building that this dog’s in here. Find out if there are allergies, aversions, that sort of thing,” Cassidy mentioned.
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Board Policy 8390 comprises a bit on remedy dogs, stating they are often approved by the superintendent, supplied seven situations are met annually.
Conditions embody being licensed as a remedy canine, documentation of an academic function, that the canine is a minimum of a 12 months old and licensed regionally, and proof of legal responsibility insurance coverage for the canine whereas on district grounds.
— Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at [email protected].
