It takes a village to make the schools safe

School safety can't rely only on sheriff's deputies Scott Davis and Ray Guzman.

These school resource officers have developed a good relationship with students in the Carson City School District. But both insist school safety involves everybody - students, teachers, parents, the community as a whole.

"This is a community project - not a school project, not a sheriff's project," Guzman said.

The deputies along with city, state, school and fire officials turned out Wednesday morning in front of Fritsch Elementary School for a Safe Schools Celebration. The event introduced the school district's spiral-bound emergency management plan that will be sent home to all parents early next year.

The resource officers welcome wide distribution of the plan, which details how schools will respond to a wide variety of calamities, including bomb threats, shootings, chemical spills, weapons on campus, and major student disruptions, among others.

"What it does for us is it gets parents to know what they need to do to make schools safer," Guzman said.

Davis added, "The more anybody is informed, the more we can all work together."

Working together and networking are key components of Project Impact, a federal program to help make communities more disaster resistant. The school district received $90,000 from Carson City's $300,000 Project Impact grant.

The district will use $45,000 to pay for printing the spiral-bound booklet and $45,000 for emergency crisis kits for each classroom.

"I hope it will be symbolic over the coming years that school safety is everybody's business," School Superintendent Jim Parry said.

The Carson City Fire Department praises the school district's disaster plan and its efforts to share it with all staff and parents.

"Before the fire department ever shows up (at an emergency), the schools will be following a predetermined procedure that will have a big impact for emergency services crews," Battalion Chief Dan Shirey said. "We won't have to worry about the relocation of students because that will already be taken care of."

Deputy Attorney General Dorothy Nash Holmes gave the Fritsch students three rules to make their school safer.

"First thing, no weapons in school," Nash said. "It's not cool. It's a crime that will get you to jail. Second rule: it's OK to get help. You're not a snitch. You're not a tattle-tale. Third rule: it is my responsibility. It's your school. It's you who might get hurt. If you learn those three rules, this will be the safest school in Nevada."

Mayor Ray Masayko said the videotape of Wednesday ceremony will be shared Nov. 12-16 with Project Impact communities around the country at a national summit in Washington, D.C. Carson City is among few Project Impact communities to use the program for school safety.

"This program is probably exactly what was envisioned by Project Impact because of the community networking," Masayko said. "This program will reach every student in every school in Carson City and most important it will reach every parent."