CMS Leaders count Inaugural Safety Summit as a win despite low parent turnout
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools hosted its inaugural safety summit at Waddell High School Tuesday evening.
The event featured a resource fair, panel discussion and small group sessions where CMS school leaders and community partners talked about how to keep kids safe both inside and outside the classroom.
“We’ve seen where we can make improvements, and we’ve seen concerns of parents on communication,” JD Thomas, CMS Police Chief said. “We’ve seen issues that have come in and we’ve made some changes.”
Edna Sorenson is a parent of three. She came to the summit after her child got lost on a school bus earlier this year. She wasn’t satisfied with the communication.
“I trust that at school, they’re going to be safe. For the most part, my kids have been to school all the way up to eighth grade I think the school does a really great job. That was just a scary moment for me this year that never happened before
The district set up tables with different departments and community resources like NC S.A.F.E which is an initiative to lock up guns at home, Say Something, behavioral support and more. Most seats in the event were empty, but CMS leaders say it was still a win.
“I don’t think that people are used to this type of approach, where the school system openly says, hey, you know, we want to partner with you to create a better safety environment in Mecklenburg County. So I think the turnout is a win,” Tim Ivey, CMS Chief Operating Officer said.
The district says this year it has seen fewer violent incidents and weapons on campus because of a new approach.
“We found at, say, sporting events or in the parking lots, we’ve made several guns seizures. We’ve had to change our game. We know that we’ve got it safer and secure inside the school. So, what do the students do that might be looking at getting a weapon there, they move to the outside. So what do we do? We move to the outside,” CMS Police Chief Thomas said.
Some parents at the summit want to see the district focus on prevention and transparency.
“We have to create special program for prevention, our mental health program, because many people who have a loneliness, they can create dangerous thing,” Igor Liubachevskii parent said.
CMS leaders say school safety isn’t just within the walls of the school house. They say it’s all about active parenting and watching out for what your kids are posting on social media. They also want parents and community members to report concerns to authorities or use anonymous apps like Say Something.
