Keeping Our Kids Safe @ WVW

Keeping Our Kids Safe @ WVW

 

The Wyoming Valley West Educational Foundation asks you, our families, local business community and alumni across the country, to support school safety through a fund raising effort to help our beloved alma mater meet the ever-changing security standards.  Our goal is to advance the implementation of cutting-edge safety practices to keep students safe and to keep Wyoming Valley West a school where students feel safe.

 

Creating safer schools is a growing concern and national movement.  Sadly, we no longer hear school affiliated adults or students saying, “tragic events would never happen here” in any school system including our own.  Daily news highlights how some great institutions today are plagued by violence.  School leaders nation-wide are working with their faculty, students and the communities they serve to proactively upgrade systems, utilize innovative technologies and implement modern safety practices.  Wyoming Valley West continues to take appropriate steps by adding upgrades and strengthen security practices, to customize for the needs of each facility or event. 

 

At this time, we hope to assist the district by raising funds for a safety project and helps preserve current programs, classes and cultural events funded by the district .  We do NOT want to see the money to fund security projects come from music events, art field trips, elective courses or participation in math and science contests.  Working in conjunction with the Wyoming Valley West School Board, WVW administrators, WVW faculty and our communities, the WVWED Foundation is sponsoring this opportunity to contribute to enhancing the safety of our children.

 

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How are most recent upgrades keeping our kids safe?

Additions to building security in the past few years included security buzzers and cameras on entryways, video monitoring system on doorways, and a call home system which alerts parents in the morning when students do not report to school. This is not only to remind parents of attendance; it serves a greater purpose to notify a guardian if a child has not reported where expected or has gone missing.  Some buildings have had resource/security officers and the district is committed to a security officer in every building.  These initiatives will continue to impact education budgets, but the safety of children is the district’s primary concern.

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Rest assured, the district currently does a great job with student safety.  Best practices are continuously reviewed and modified. Recently, the WVW school board and administration presented plans to optimize modern security options with the leading members of the WVWED Foundation.  In addition to adopting current practices in safety strategies and investing in on-going staff training, upgrades are planned for:

·         entryways with metal detectors

·         rolling caster sets

·         hand held scanning wands

·         intercoms and doors with panic bars

·         training

·         installation and implementation for the new devices. 

In addition, the WVW district committed to funding constables /security officers for classroom buildings.

 
The district shared the budget for forthcoming security upgrades to be in excess of the $330,000 range. We are taking a lead in making the community aware of the proactive direction the district is moving in safety and asking for contributions to offset the expense.  The Foundation’s initial goal is to offset costs for $20,000 for the one-time purchase and installation of metal detector and the wands ($1270 each.)  If the general public and school community have interest in this fundraising direction we will expand this project to further assist to offset cost for this security installation.


As is the practice of the foundation, donations attained through this fundraising effort will be paid directly to the pre-determined vendors to offset the expenses.


Past activities and donations of the WVW Educational Foundation include:

2018 – May
Donated Quartet (4 Orchestra Instruments) for “Music is Our Forte” as part of the musical instrument replacement. This project may be on-going.

2017 August
Donated 60 Desktop computer donation to refurbish high school STEM Labs for Tech Ed Department and Library Computer Lab. This project is on-going.

2016 - April
Donated “Real Care Babies” to the Family and Consumer Science Department. Project request fulfilled.

2016 – April
Sponsored an in-house Field Trip for all State Street first grade classes to participate in the  Franklin Institute “Sound Music and Math” traveling education program. This project is fulfilled.

2015 - September
Donated 48 Desktop computer donation to refurbish high school STEM Labs for Tech Ed Department and Library Computer Lab. This project is on-going.
 

We are asking for your support for the safety of our children. To contribute, please donate through our GOFUNDME campaign or mail a check payable the Wyoming Valley West Educational Foundation in care of Beth Dal Santo, Executive Director.


For more information on the foundation and projects please, visit or contact our Foundation:

·         Website at http://www.wvweducationalfoundation.org/ 

·         Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/WVWEducationalFoundation/ 

·         Email Beth Dal Santo, Executive Director at [email redacted]