Safety and Risk Management Committee

Safety Corner

There have been numerous school violence cases this year (As of October 4th, 17 shootings this school year!).  And some near misses in Utah schools.  In our effort to continuously improve safety at Odyssey, we are concentrating on LANYARD use this month.  The lanyard is the "necklace" or "tag" visitors are supposed to pick up at the front desk and wear whenever they are in the school.  Remember, if you go past the front desk, you need a lanyard.  This goes for teachers and staff also.

Some reasons behind the use of lanyards include: 

• if every adult signs in and wears a lanyard, then if there is an emergency, we have a list of who is in the school that we need to account for. 

• if someone is in the school without a lanyard, then students and staff can recognize that person doesn't belong there and get the appropriate help. 

• we want to be able to recognize - by sight - who should and shouldn't be around our students.

It is school policy to sign in and wear a lanyard, even if you're there all the time and everyone knows you.  Anyone who works at Odyssey should wear their lanyard at all times, and they should tell others to get a lanyard on.

We are instituting a lanyard reward!  Any students who "catch" any adult in the school without a lanyard and tell their teacher (who will then tell the adult to get a lanyard on) will get 5 dots! 

We will also be sending out "lanyard spies" who will purposefully not wear a lanyard, but be carrying candy bars to give to any adult who reminds them that they need to have a lanyard on when they're in the school.

We are trying to make this fun & rewarding, but the reasons behind this policy aren't fun and aren't pleasant, but are very important.  Please remember when you go to the school to sign in at the front desk and put on your lanyard.  If there isn't one, let Nancy or Krista know so that we can get more as needed.
 

Safety Committee Info

The safety committee is continually committed to making Odyssey Charter School a safer place for our students, teachers, staff and community.  To this end, we have instituted the following: 

• Fire evacuation routes - located in each classroom and break out room.
• Monthly fire drills - as required by law.  We have always been out of the building in less than 3 minutes which is the state goal.
• Emergency Backpacks in each classroom - armed with flashlights, blankets, band-aids and other emergency supplies.
• Earthquake Preparedness - the current standard from FEMA, ARC and the State of Utah is drop, cover & hold.
• Inner building safety - ceilings intact, no extension cords, and no papers within 18" of the ceilings, hallways and classrooms cleared of obtrusive obstacles, etc.
• Classroom safety procedures: lock down, gaseous leaks, intruders, etc.
• Fire extinguisher use class
• Classes to certify first responders in first aid, CPR and AED.
• Fully functional sickroom with needed supplies.

We are currently working on:

• Emergency Evacuation contact list - if we have to evacuate from the school we will be able to program the phone to call the "head" carpool leader in each carpool group.
• Classroom flip charts on how to act in each emergency.
• Classroom rolls and parent emergency contact sheet to go into the backpacks.
• Another first aid/CPR/AED class for parents and teachers.
• New evacuation signs that are easier to read & oriented correctly.
• Further staff trainings in fire extinguisher use, blood born, lock down, etc.
• Safer carpool - which would consist of parents obeying the current rules, no double parking, no speeding, stay in line, etc.
• Safety in the school with better lanyard use - each adult in the school building should sign in and be wearing a lanyard, so our students can get used to it and question any strangers who don't have one.

The committee currently consists of the following people: Christy Belt (Chair), Michele Thompson, Jennifer Crutchfield, Robyn Kofford, Lisa Withers, Troy Gunderson, and Barbaradell Peterson.  Steve Jarvis and Jennifer Cooper are the teachers on the committee and Mark Jacobson is our advisor from the General Board.

We are always looking for ways to increase safety in our school.  If you have any safety concerns, questions or ideas, please contact Christy Belt at safety@odysseycharter.net.

We will hold committee meetings on the 2nd Monday at 2:00 p.m. for about an hour in the library in these months: November, January, March, and May. Parents who are interested in helping out on this committee are more than welcome to come to a meeting or email safety@odysseycharter.net.

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