Pierce Downer This Week

Pierce Downer Families,

We were thrilled to welcome back all of our PD Panthers for a new school year. A year that will be bursting with growth, learning, and tons of memories. The beginning of the school year is a special time. It is filled with anticipation, excitement, new friendships and opportunities. Our dedicated staff has been working diligently to create the safe, engaging, friendly and inviting environment for each and every student and family.

With the new school year underway, I am going to encourage all of our families to stay involved in their child's education. Communication is a vital component to the success of our students. We are here to partner together to provide the BEST educational experience.

With that being said, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can email me at LWagner@DG58.org or call the Pierce Downer Main Office at 630-719-5860.

As always, WE are PD!

Dr. Leland (Lucky) Wagner

AS a reminder, every MONDAY students are dismissed at 2pm. We also invite students to wear orange on Monday to support our commitment to a positive mindset, along with spirit wear or school colors (blue and white) every Friday!

Dear District 58 Families,

I hope this letter finds you well and we are very excited to start the school year. As you know, the safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Over the past several years, District 58 has increased its safety measures in partnership with our students, staff, and families. Increased measures include implementing Safe 2 Help, screening visitors via the Raptor System, a new lanyard and identification system for all staff and visitors, embracing the ALICE Model (options-based training for a violent critical incident), and passing a referendum that will build secure entrances at all schools. Another key component of school safety is communicating with your child(ren) at home and monitoring social media usage.

Unfortunately, school districts across the country are experiencing an increase in threatening statements made by students of all ages (online and in-person) to one another, toward staff, or against schools. In previous years, District 58 has also experienced these types of incidents. While this is a national trend, I truly believe we can work together to bring it to an end in District 58.

As a parent of school-age children, I find this national trend very concerning. I view each and every student in our District in the same manner as my own children. District 58 and the Downers Grove Police Department will do everything possible to protect them from threats and harm. We will continue to place the safety of our students and staff above everything else. We will not tolerate any type of threat to our schools.

Additionally, the District will never allow a weapon or lookalike weapon on a bus, at a school activity, or a school. Please have a serious conversation with your child(ren) about why it is not permissible to make a threatening statement (even in a joking manner) online or in-person. Also, please share with your child(ren) that they cannot bring any type of weapon or lookalike weapon to school, including toys. I am sending this letter out early in the year so we can be proactive.

If your child(ren) makes a threatening statement or brings a weapon or lookalike weapon to school, they will immediately be referred to the Downers Grove Police Department. Police consequences may include arrest, referral to the State’s Attorney and the Juvenile Court System. Further, your child(ren) will receive significant consequences at school which may include expulsion (see Board Policy 7:190). The recent tragic events all across the country committed by students of all ages underscore why we will not take any chances when it comes to the safety of our students and staff.

District 58 is also here to help any student or family that is struggling with mental health issues. If we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to us right away. The District has a free resource called Safe 2 Help that is available 24 hours a day every day of the year. Finally, please talk with your child(ren) about the importance of, “If you see something, say something.” School personnel must be promptly notified of anything that may not seem right so we can investigate all situations in coordination with law enforcement.

District staff will also speak with all of our students in the coming days and weeks about this topic (we will do so in an age-appropriate manner). I recognize that this type of letter may be unsettling. I wish I did not have to write this type of letter. However, this is a serious matter and I need your help. Together we can use this as a teachable moment for all of the students in the District so we can ensure the safety of all.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Russell

Superintendent of Schools

Additional Safety Measures in District 58

-Safe 2 Help

-Building Secured Entrances

-Raptor System for Screening Visitor

-New Lanyard and ID System for Staff and Visitors

-ALICE Model for Students and Staff

This year Pierce Downer has the exciting opportunity to pilot a schedule that includes three lunch and three recess periods. Our goal is to reduce the overall number of students within each lunch and recess period in order to maximize staff supervision and increase student safety. This is also a part of our continued efforts to support positive student behavior. It is important to note that as with any pilot, if we do not find success by implementing this model, we will revert to our typical lunch and recess schedule. The pilot schedule is as follows:

• Kindergarten and First Grade will eat lunch at 11:20 am
• Second, Third, and Fourth Grade will eat lunch at 11:40 am
• Fifth and Sixth Grade will eat lunch at 12:00 pm

We hope your family is excited for a great start to the 2023-24 school year! Please sign and return the attached receipt indicating that you have reviewed the Schools of District 58 Handbook with your child(ren). The form is due on or before our school’s Curriculum Night, which is Tuesday, September 5th.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this form!

Our arrival and dismissal procedures will look similar to previous years, with some added structure to ensure a safe and orderly process going into the building. Our RISE, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-grade students will have assigned lines by their entrance doors. You will know by your class identifiers listed below:

Acevedo and Barc: AB

Boyce: 1B

Breault: 1Br

Contreras: 2C

Harland: 2H

deBuhr: 3d

Murphy: 3M

Kindergarten will continue to go in through the front entrance, but will now line up on the side pathway. Mrs. Coyne's class will line up on the C-line and Mrs. Grisamore's class on the G-line.

The pictures below should help provide a reference!

District 58 is pleased to continue using the Raptor Visitor Management System in all of our schools to strengthen our program of campus safety for students and faculty. Part of keeping students and faculty safe is knowing who is in our buildings at all times. The Raptor system will better allow us to screen visitors, contractors, and volunteers in our schools and provide us with a safer environment for our students and staff. Community High School District 99 currently utilizes the same platform on its campuses.

Upon entering a district building, visitors will be asked to present photo identification, such as a Driver’s License, which can either be scanned or manually entered into the system. If a parent or guardian for any reason does not have a US government-issued ID, the school staff member can use any form of identification and manually enter the person’s name into the Raptor system. The Raptor system will check to ensure that registered sexual offenders are not entering our school campuses without our knowledge. The Raptor system checks the visitor's name and date of birth for comparison with a national database of registered sex offenders. The registered sex offender database is the only official database checked by the Raptor system. No other data from the ID is gathered or recorded and the information is not shared with any outside agency. Once entry is approved, Raptor will issue a badge that identifies the visitor, the date, and the purpose of his/her visit. A visitor’s badge will not be necessary for those who visit our schools simply to drop off an item in the office or pick up paperwork.

The safety of our students is our highest priority and the Raptor visitor management system allows us to quickly identify those that may present a danger to our students. Thank you in advance for your understanding and your support in enhancing the school safety protocols in our district.

September 4

No School: Labor Day

September 5

Curriculum Night

6-7:30pm

District 58 has partnered with Safe2Help to give students a safe and confidential way to report potential threats or crises. Safe2Help was launched by the State of Illinois in December 2020 and aims to help prevent suicide, bullying, school violence and other threats to school safety.

With Safe2Help, students can connect with a trained crisis professional during their own crisis, or to report a potential threat. Students can submit a Safe2Help alert via the following ways:

• Website: https://app.safe22helpil.com
• Text: SAFE2 (72332)
• Phone: 844-4-SAFEIL (844-472-3345)
• App: "Safe2Help Illinois" app available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store
• Email: HELP@Safe2HelpIL.com

All alerts are responded to by a trained Safe2Help crisis professional. Safe2Help is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

District 58 staff are not the initial responders to the alert and will receive each alert after the Safe2Help professional provides support. District 58 staff will review alerts sent by Safe2Help during regular school hours, unless the nature of the alert necessitates immediate school action.